How to Survive as a Player Chapter 23

#23

Hwaak-

When I opened my cold eyes, Sehyeon was in a distant space. A space that seems endless. There was not a single person left who had made up the tsunami. I don’t know if it was absorbed into time and space, or if it crawled out to survive.

There were still hundreds or tens of millions of portals floating in the air, and many of them had not found their owners. Among the portals that did not lose their shine was Sehyeon’s Empire.

[Oops, a guest has arrived.]

Sehyun’s eyes turned into space. A man in a tailcoat was floating in the air and bending down at his waist. After giving a polite greeting, the man walked around Sehyeon and came closer.

[Are you thinking about going to the empire? Looking at his expression, he is full of solemnity.]

“Don’t worry. “I’m going out again.”

Sehyun turned her back on Bill Will, the man in the tailcoat, and moved to find the portal from which red light was leaking. A portal shining light was seen at a certain distance. A distance of approximately 100 steps.

[The longer you hesitate, the greater your fear.]

It was an extremely gentlemanly voice. But if you ask deep inside, it probably isn’t so.

“Can I change the location of the portal?”

[That should be true, but… . I would like to ask whether there is any need for that.]

“Because I have to sneak in.”

Sehyun took out a black bandana that she had kept in her inventory, wore one as a mask, and wrapped the other around her head to carefully cover her hair. Bill Will watched the scene with great interest.

After covering it so carefully, only the eyes were barely visible. Just like that, Sehyeon looked back at Bill Will.

“Is it okay?”

[I’ll show you about three places.]

Just-

When Billwill snapped his hand, the scene of the portal shining on the surface of the empire changed. It was next to a lake beyond the outer walls of the empire.

“There will be a wooded area behind the bell tower inside the castle walls. “Please go there.”

[Hmm, here?]

The clicking sound sounded again and the scene changed. It was towards the thick bush behind the bell tower that Sehyeon had hoped for. It was the place with the weakest security due to the high walls, and it was a blind spot where light did not reach, making it the best place to hide.

No, the empire’s security wasn’t that tight to begin with. It was like that in any empire. Since the invasion was in the form of an imperial war, most patrols were formal, and security was also concentrated at the gateway to and from the portal.

“I’ll leave it here. “Can vassals see the portal or can they pass through it like a Lord player?”

[Of course, it is not only invisible but also impossible. Portals in this space are a privilege for road players. If that were the case, everyone would have stormed here to catch their king by now.]

That’s enough. Portals are a privilege of ‘road players’. That means that if you are a road player, you can see the portal and go through it even if you become a villager.

“Do you need anything in return?”

[hmm… well.]

“It’s okay if you don’t have it.”

[Pocket watch.]

Sehyeon’s brow furrowed. To make pocket watches, the empire had to be so prosperous that it had to have a workshop. Seeing the way he made demands despite clearly knowing that he was broke, it seemed like he had already figured out what Sehyun was going for.

“Three more times. “If you help me when I ask, I will think about it.”

[It would be a good idea to differentiate the number of times depending on the quality.]

Oh really.

After saying those words, Bill Will disappeared and disappeared. Sehyun, who had been glaring at him, belatedly let out a complicated sigh and turned toward the portal. The dark night was visible beyond the portal. He walked slowly and stretched out his hand, and warm air wrapped around his fingertips.

“… … .”

The eyes, which had widened in surprise, soon calmly closed. When the previously empty air became warmer and darkness covered my eyes and ears, the smell of the bushes reached my nose.

When I slowly opened my eyes, there was a bell tower so huge that it was difficult to even look up. The clear moon rising above was so surprisingly mysterious that I couldn’t take my eyes off it. It was the first full moon night I had seen since I came here.

Only when Sehyeon habitually sighed was he able to take his eyes off the sky. He then quickly went through his inventory and pulled out a crossbow. The goal is above the huge bell tower right in front of you.

The location of the bell tower was what could be said to be the empire’s most blind spot. The bell tower was built by Sehyeon for New Year’s greetings, and was rarely used except during festivals or the New Year. Not only was it a blind spot, but the walls surrounding the bell tower were very high, so there was no risk of intrusion, so it was also the place with the poorest security.

Sehyeon, who was listening to the sound of the passing wind, fired a crossbow with a hook at the solid brick of the bell tower as the wind swept through the bushes. However, the hook that was not in place was thrown out with a squeak sound.

Sehyeon quickly pulled the rope and retrieved the hook before it fell to the floor. Then he wrapped the rope again and shot towards the curved area.

Tong-

The hook bounced back. After trying three times to the sound of the bushes, the hook finally found its place and dug in between the hollow bricks.

After pulling the rope a few times, Sehyeon soon wrapped the rope around her waist and hands and began climbing, using the wall as support.

Of course, I didn’t forget to retrieve a little bit of the rope each time I climbed. This was because when security came, if anyone saw the rope hanging on the floor, they would be caught right away.

“ha… .”

As I reached the hooked area, my legs started shaking. Sehyeon controlled his impatient mind and took a long, deep breath. A glance below him made him dizzy. Taking a few more deep breaths, Sehyeon took out another crossbow from his inventory.

And then he leaned forward and fired upwards. This time, after failing twice, the hook got stuck. Sehyun began to climb the bell tower, retrieving the crossbows one by one without any urgency.

I couldn’t even remember how many times I repeated it. However, she only remembered that she had done it so many times that sweat soaked her clothes and her palms became wet.

When I reached the top of the bell tower, I was almost out of breath. Se-hyeon, who was looking irritated at his weak, blood-oozing hand, put the crossbow in his inventory as soon as he caught his breath and stood up.

The bell tower was the third tallest building in the empire. Perhaps that’s why it overlooked most of the empire. It was an enormous territory, so much so that it was called a great empire. A place where everything is luxurious, beautiful, and has achieved endless development.

‘<Feather Sound LV.1>’

Sehyeon used a skill to muffle the sound of his footsteps and headed towards the place where the second tallest building in the empire was located. The roof of the building was dangerously narrow and dangerous. I couldn’t even look down.

From now on, crossbows that make sound cannot be used. I had to run on my feet and move my body at all costs.

If the empire’s daily routine is running the same as before the fold, the number of security guards, their locations, and shift times will be exactly as you know them in your head. Sehyun stared at where the first challenge awaited.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located close to the bell tower building. It was lower than the bell tower, but the problem was that the distance was too far. The buildings were located about 5 meters apart. It wasn’t a distance that could be reached just by running.

Moreover, even if <Feather Sound> was currently activated as a passive function, there was no guarantee that it would not be released even when faced with pain.

It was a situation where I had to gamble. In this future, the spacing and distance between buildings were different.

Sehyun took a deep breath. He erased the distance from his mind and looked only ahead. He gritted his teeth, stomped his feet, and ran as fast as he could, and when his feet finally reached the final position, he jumped straight into the air.

Originally, there would have been a thumping sound and a rolling sound, but fortunately, the <feather sound> did not dissipate, so it ended up being a short groan.

“Ugh… .”

I felt extreme pain in my elbow. My gaze went to the elbow for a split second, but that was it. Se-hyeon grabbed his trembling arm and staggered to his feet again.

There was still a long way to go to waste time.

***

I couldn’t even remember how much I rolled and ran. Her magical power was depleted by her bitter skills one after another, she felt dizzy, fell down, and even broke her wrist. After taking out the last remaining magic recovery potion and drinking it, Sehyeon ran again, whipping his whip. That was just a few tens of minutes ago.

As I ran from roof to roof until I was out of breath, the white castle tower that seemed so far away finally appeared right in front of me. The long corridor bridge connecting the castle towers was currently lit only by torches from time to time.

At the end of the long bridge of that castle tower, there was the ‘thing’ that Sehyun wanted. In short, it meant that we had to climb up to the high floating bridge.

There will be no one guarding the bridge at this time.

Se-hyeon, who was looking around, realized the presence of guards moving below and quickly hid himself. As he held his breath and waited, the sound of clanking metal soon faded.

It’s too late.

The hands of the clock tower in the distance were pointing three hours before sunrise. Sehyeon held his breath and headed towards the huge pillar supporting the bridge of the castle tower. The supports that arrived after going through two or three buildings were so smooth that there were no grooves for hanging hooks.