Chapter 226. Mystery Shuffle (1) (1/2)
Tiriring—
A sound unbefitting of the situation rang out.
In that instant, the pain surrounding her entire body disappeared, and Rumi turned around curiously.
The shadow that had been suffocating her was still there, with her hair flowing down like a ghost and her eyes staring into space.
It looked like she had just received some kind of message… Was she typing a reply or something?
But the halt only lasted for a moment.
“Kyaak—!”
The blade that had stopped for a moment came back bigger, and Rumi realized that this woman did not intend to keep her alive.
“You… You should also know… that the current Seat of Black… Fenrir is a time bomb. As he gets more famous, more people will try to dig up his past, and your relationship to him will soon become known.”
As such, rather than begging for her current life, Rumi decided to add weight to her future persuasion. She endured the spreading pain and continued persistently.
“The day will come when you… ultimately have to decide between the former boss… and the current Seat of Black.”
The result would be unavoidable. Will she seek forgiveness from the Seat of Black by insulting the man whom she trusted and followed, or will she finally kill the Seat of Black who she was supposed to kill a long time ago?
“Let me guess. Between the dead and the living, you will choose the dead again.”
But no answer came from the shadow.
Amidst the pain that spread throughout her entire body and the rage that sprang up from the imminent death— Rumi clenched her teeth and cursed.
“You will, for your boss, end up plucking the lotus flower….”
Those were her last words. A blow landed on her spine, and her body immediately turned into a current that disappeared. Rumi had now died once.
At the same time, the barrier that had enveloped them scattered.
The back alley of the vessel was engulfed in silence. Only a single shadow stood there.
Boss’ head strangely hurt. What she had just heard came as an unexpected shock to her. It was surely nothing but nonsense… When did she become so weak?
“Haa….”
Boss sighed and turned on the messenger.
[Boss, come to Area 3 at 9. Let’s have breakfast together]
The message that just arrived was from Kim Hajin. ‘I should have turned the notification off…’ Boss murmured inwardly as she read the message and remembered Rumi’s last words.
‘You will, for your boss, end up picking the lotus flower.’
But she soon shook her head and brushed it aside.
“There’s no way…”
There was not a slight possibility that would happen.
It was nothing but an ominous curse.
“That I would betray you.”
‘You may betray me, but I could never betray you.‘
With a low whisper, she disappeared into the deep darkness.
**
[15F, a fancy restaurant in Genkelope’s Vessel]
“So does that mean you already purchased the 20th floor tickets, Miss Aileen?”
“You could say that. In fact, yes, I did.” Aileen said proudly as she stuffed herself with the dessert pudding. In front of Aileen sat Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha, and next to her was Shin Jonghak.
The four had met by chance today.
First, Kim Suho ran into Yoo Yeonha by chance on his way to a local ramen restaurant and greeted her. Yoo Yeonha, who was originally heading to the ramen restaurant, pretended instead to go to a fancy restaurant nearby and changed her path.
But Kim Suho tactlessly tagged along behind Yoo Yeonha, and the pair ran into Aileen and Shin Jonghak at the restaurant.
“All four members of my party have their train tickets. All first class. Oh, none of us are doppelgängers, so don’t worry.”
Aileen suddenly recalled the day she fought with the doppelgänger on the 20th floor.
Because Spirit Speech didn’t work on another Spirit Speech user of the same level, their fight devolved into a brawl.
The two Aileens each tried to demonstrate awesome combat techniques. Papapa—! They stretched their short legs and feet systematically.
But the result was simply a catfight in which they pulled each other’s hair out, and Aileen defeated the doppelgänger with all her effort.
“A battle with a doppelgänger… Sounds difficult.” Kim Suho, who had been all ears, remarked modestly.
“It’s difficult but not impossible. The doppelgänger is less experienced in skills. You should learn to use skills at the right moment.” Shin Jonghak, who had been quiet until now, explained.
“What’s this? You’re giving him advices now, Jonghak?” Yoo Yeonha remarked softly, but no answer came back from Shin Jonghak. He would only move his fingers swiftly like he was texting someone.
“Mm~ Mmm….” Yoo Yeonha shrugged casually and turned her gaze away from Shin Jonghak.
Kim Suho asked, “By the way, was the 15th floor vessel like this from the beginning? I heard it was rather a mess at first.”
“Yeah. Everything was a mess in the beginning.” Tak. Aileen finished the pudding and put the spoon down. At that moment, the waiter arrived with the main dish.
“This vessel is divided into different areas, Area 1 to Area 9.” Aileen ignored the steak in front of her and continued. “Area 1 to Area 6 have been restored to their normal functions. Area 7, Area 8, and Area 9 are still full of ‘alien creatures’. You probably know about them. It’s hard to miss those gross-looking things.”
Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha nodded.
Aileen continued, “At first, those guys were everywhere. Then suddenly, a bunch of NPCs came and stole Area 1 which I had taken over… then they also brought an AI from somewhere and changed the ship into this. Area 1 was originally mine…”
Aileen pouted, and, at the same time, glanced at the pudding in front of Kim Suho. Because Kim Suho didn’t like sweets, his pudding was completely intact.
“…Aren’t you going to eat that?” Aileen, who had been after it for a while, finally asked.
“Ah, no.”
Kim Suho handed Aileen the pudding. Only then did Aileen pick up her spoon again. Squish, squish— She spooned a bite of pudding, put it in her mouth, and shuddered slightly.
“This flavor is different from mine~”
Seeing Aileen’s happy murmuring, Yoo Yeonha asked. “But did you receive a proper reward?”
“Hmm? Ah, I did.” Aileen nodded and took out some kind of black card. “This is the VVIP card for the 15th floor. Anything here can be used with this card. So other than a few exceptions, everything is free.”
Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha widened their eyes and stared at it. Aileen puffed out her chest triumphantly.
“I’ll pay for the food today so don’t you worry~”
“Wow. Thank you.”
“…Anyway, hurry up and come up to the 20th floor. Apparently the train needs at least 100 passengers to start.”
It was then.
The restaurant door suddenly opened, and two men in neat suits approached their table.
Tak, tak.
As everyone in the restaurant watched them curiously, they politely called out the name of a certain person.
“Are you the Player, ‘YooYeonhaYeonha’?”
“…Pardon?”
Yoo Yeonha, who had been picked out unexpectedly, tilted her head curiously with a fork in her mouth.
**
I invited Yoo Yeonha to the VVIP Room in Area 3. I had promised to meet her once she arrived on the 15th floor, and I had an appointment with Athena today too.
“…Where are we? You must have made it big.”
Yoo Yeonha pouted as she entered the VVIP Room.
The VVIP Room, built just for me, was that perfect. It wasn’t just because of the luxurious interior and the convenient furnitures.
I didn’t have to move a finger in here. The AI did everything for me on its own.
“So, we finally meet in the Tower~”
“First, sit down. Have you eaten?”
“I got dragged out halfway.”
Yoo Yeonha grumbled and sat down on a chair nearby. Unlike Yoo Yeonha who had sat down, I stood up and headed to the kitchen.
“…What are you doing?”
“You said you didn’t eat.”
I was going to make a special ramen for Yoo Yeonha.
“Just wait a little bit.”
Dadadada—
My hands moved at an undetectable speed.
Yoo Yeonha let out a deep sigh as she watched me make the sauce and remove head from an anchovy.
“I can see what you’re trying to make… but I’ve already told you that I’m not into those kinds of food.”
“Isn’t it about time you got honest?”
“…Rather than that, what’s your nickname? Add me as a friend.”
Yoo Yeonha pulled up her friend list.
I was putting the sauce into the boiling water when I stopped.
Nickname.
My nickname, Extra7.
‘Can I really tell Yoo Yeonha?’ I wondered, then soon gave in.
“Extra7. Add me.”
“…Eh? That’s you?”
But it looked like Yoo Yeonha had already heard of my nickname. I quickly glanced at her and saw that she was quite surprised. I didn’t know exactly how my nickname spread, but I had a good guess.
Since Yoo Yeonha knew how to keep a secret, I probably didn’t need to worry about it too much.
“You’ve heard of me? Where and how?”
“Yes, though not in detail. Nayun told me herself. I’m probably the only one she told. She said that Extra7 was the person who saved her. Plus, your nickname itself is quite famous. I heard you came in first in the first tutorial.”
“…”
I nodded without words.
Meanwhile, the ramen had finished cooking, and I moved some noodles to a plate and placed it in front of Yoo Yeonha.
Suddenly, Yoo Yeonha asked.
“…Is Nayun still the one for you? You’ve been watching over her from afar.”
Her voice, filled with bitterness but also envy, stopped me.
I recalled the past.
How did I feel about Chae Nayun back then?