How to Survive as a Player Chapter 24

#24

It was too far to fire a crossbow. Sehyun took out a 50-meter rope and a bow from her inventory. He tied the hooked part to the arrow, hung it on the bowstring, and pulled with all his might. It was a practice we had practiced hundreds of times at the training center, along with throwing the hook.

‘<Purification’s Fall LV.1>’

As soon as the faint light rested on the tip of the arrow, Sehyun shot the arrow towards the railing. Bang, along with the arrow fired, the rope began to stretch up the bridge. Se-hyeon, who was watching this with anxiety, immediately pulled the rope and hung the hook in the gap in the railing as soon as the hook hit the railing.

In a precarious manner, the hook landed in the gap in the railing. Sehyun pulled the rope hard to check, then immediately wrapped it around her waist and started climbing the wall.

The sound was louder than I expected. Those with sensitive ears might have already been alerted to the sound of the arrow.

The hand holding the rope was already full of blood. My teeth clenched from the sting. Every time I grabbed the rope, I instinctively hesitated.

Nevertheless, Sehyun held on with great effort and climbed up with difficulty wrapping the rope. However, when he climbed onto his leg with all his might, what greeted Se-hyeon was a huge grip that was so tight that it crushed his neck.

“Gagging… .”

It happened before my feet even touched the ground. Sehyeon was grabbed by the neck and thrown into a pillar in his corridor. In his blurred vision, there was a red-haired man glaring at Sehyun with a fierce gaze.

“Who are you?”

A low, growling voice rang menacingly. Sehyun let out a sharp sigh and squeezed the man’s hand. His breathing was congested and he was short of air.

“Who dares set foot in this place?”

Every single word the man said conveyed a feeling of intimidation that made him feel like he was about to die. Physiological tears flowed from my red-hot eyes, which were pressed tightly against my neck. The blurred vision signaled danger.

The man’s red eyes narrowed to a sharp level. Her man’s hand grabbed Sehyeon’s black mask and pulled it down. From how much she had bitten, her lips were chapped with teeth marks as she gasped for air. Her man’s gaze this time turned to the back of her hand, which was still covered in blood.

No, it was headed toward Sehyun’s palm, where the flesh had been peeled off. But then she heard the man’s broken voice, oppressed by her pain.

“my… Black… ! my… rice paddy… .”

The man’s ferocious red eyes dilated in an instant. The grip that was holding Sehyun’s neck as if it were going to crush it suddenly loosened. The man looked at the collapsed body with confusion.

“Cold, cold… Big… .”

If I were to be upset, I would have died. Sehyeon wiped away the physiological tears with her arms and stood up shakily. With one hand, he held an arrow he had hastily removed from his inventory. Holding the arrow upside down and pressing it gently down his neck, Sehyun lifted his shoulders and threatened his man.

“Sigh… Oh, step back… Sigh… .”

The man had become surprisingly calm. The moment her red eyes slowly closed as she looked down at Sehyun, the force that had been piercing her skin also eased.

A cold wind passed by each other’s cheeks. The man’s red hair also swayed as if shimmering. Slowly opening eyes could be seen infrequently.

The eyes were difficult to read. But when the cold wind died down, she lowered her body in a respectful manner and bowed her head in the manner of her vassal.

It felt as if time had stopped. Even though Sehyeon knew that she shouldn’t be fooled by his appearance, she couldn’t take her eyes off the hero she raised with love and care. Head and eyes like blazing fire. Sehyeon really liked the color that symbolized Zeno. And she loved.

Zenon. He was a combat vassal, one of the 12 SSS-level heroes raised by Sehyun. His original name was Xernon, but when Sehyeon called him Zenon, he also started calling himself Zenon at some point. The vassal himself accepted it and changed it.

He only allowed the name to Sehyeon, so no one could use his nickname. He was someone who showed such extraordinary trust.

He was the vassal who was the first to open his heart to Sehyeon and respond to the conversation, and he was a vassal who was deeply loyal and stupidly honest, and whose silence was like a rock. That’s why Sehyeon felt more sorry about this situation than anyone else.

This was because he had never once disobeyed Sehyeon. And that won’t be any different now.

“Black Empire, the tenth hero, Zenon, greets Lord.”

“you… Ha, me… I didn’t see it… . egg… I guess… ?”

Zenon didn’t say anything. His clenched hands were shaking, perhaps because of anger. Sehyeon’s heart was as shaken as that.

“… yes.”

The Archduke knew. That Sehyun would come here. So, he placed Zenon, a rat poison, here for Se-hyeon and encouraged them to confront him face to face. Other heroes cannot. Because as soon as they see Se-hyeon, they can subdue him and have him detained.

In the process, even if Se-hyeon rebels and threatens with his life like now, they will not listen. Then the gag will be filled.

Aside from everything else, Sehyun was suspicious of their loyalty. Even Zeno, who was sitting low in front of him, did the same. Everything was suspicious. From the day he received a message of ‘hate’ from someone he trusted, Se-hyeon has been unable to trust anything. The price of love came back as painful wounds that were too painful to bear.

What was important to them was not the safety of Sehyeon, but the situation, maintenance, and revival of the empire. And the person at the forefront of that ambition was the Grand Duke.

This too is just appeasement.

The reason I sent Zenon was to leave a warning for him to come in on his own. And that warning was Zeno’s safety. If Sehyeon escapes here safely tonight, Zeno will be detained in the dungeon.

“a little bit… Hang in there… .”

Zeno did not answer this time either. He knows his future. Sehyeon passed him with unsteady steps and headed toward the end of the bridge in the corridor. When I moved my body, the breath that was leaking out seemed to be blocked and could not be exhaled.

After repeatedly running and stopping, Sehyeon finally reached the end of the corridor. At the end was a magnificent door covered in gold. A treasury containing all the gold and silver treasures of the empire that only the king can use and open.

The reason Sehyun came here was to take the elixir from the treasury.

[Please enter your password.]

As I fumbled with the golden door, transparent letters appeared above the handle. Only the king could decide the password to open this place, and there was an iron law that only the king had to know. Of course, there were exceptions to everything.

When the king transferred his authority to the archduke, the archduke was also granted access to the treasury.

“I am… you… .”

Sehyun’s eyes twisted and she bit her lip for a moment. However, he clenched his fists and opened his mouth again.

“… love.”

[Recognition completed. The door opens.]

Cuckoo Palace-

Dust fell on the golden door, as if it had not been opened for a long time. Sehyeon staggered his steps beyond the golden gate, which was filled with only darkness. The moment Sehyeon passed through the golden door, the door that had opened his mouth wide shut with a thud.

Jeopuk-

The interior of the treasury was so large that it was difficult to capture it all at a glance. What filled it was countless treasure chests and all kinds of gold and silver treasures. Every time Sehyeon moved, the mana stone on the wall gave off a soft light.

Sehyun went to the place where large and small treasure chests were listed and blindly opened the lid of the chest. Only after he opened and closed it several times was Sehyun able to find what she wanted.

Elixir. A famous medicine known to be able to heal any wound.

Four gold beads were neatly placed and hanging down in a small bottle. Sehyun took all four bottles and put them in her inventory.

And then I moved to find the important items I had thought about in advance. As I roughly searched for the things that came to mind and put them in my inventory, I heard a horn sounding outside, signaling someone’s intrusion.

“!”

Sehyeon’s eyes immediately turned to the golden gate of the treasury. The infiltration was discovered. Zenon flashed through my mind for a moment, but I couldn’t even suspect it. He was a man who would not change his words even after death.

The immediate priority was to get out of here. My whole body was covered in cold sweat, but there was no time to waste. Sehyeon quickly turned back the way he came and knocked on the golden door handle three times. Just like the first time, the treasury slowly opened the door, making a sound of scraping on the floor.

But there was a dark shadow in front of him. It was Zeno. In his hand, unlike before, he held a long polearm.

It was a weapon given by Sehyeon himself with his name engraved on it. The red eyes that hid the pain told a lot.

“I just want to ask you a few questions.”

“… okay.”

“Are you abandoning us?”

At those words, Sehyun couldn’t make a sound as if there was a thorn stuck in her throat. The red eyes staring straight ahead showed no signs of agitation. Nevertheless, the image of endless waiting was reflected in it.

Sehyun barely opened her lips and spoke.

“no.”

“Then why do you have to go?”

“Something important… there is. Very important.”

“Is it important enough for you to do this?”

“… okay.”

It’s something so important that your whole body is in shambles. No, compared to what the child had gone through, this was nothing.