Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 74

“Is it that damn entrance test or whatever again today?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Between the abandoned buildings, a man sitting on a pile of collapsed construction materials looked up at the stars in the gaping sky. To be precise, they weren’t stars.

 

The Light of Enet. That’s what people called it. Above them, there was always Enet. Unlike the citizens of the Illusion City who had never seen the real sky, the man had seen it exactly once.

 

“Commander, even so, wouldn’t it just be useless guys showing up? The kids with decent abilities have already been swayed over to their side.”

 

“You’re still here. And there are a few other guys besides you.”

 

“I’m not saying the ones left are lacking; I’m saying don’t get your hopes up about the ones coming. It’d make more sense for us to just figure out how to screw over Enet ourselves.” 

 

“Hey, Sodu.”

 

“Yes, Hyung-nim.”

 

The height of the collapsed materials seemed to be roughly the second floor of a building. The man jumped down lightly. Touching the ground softly as if he had wings attached to his back, he was still looking up at the sky.

 

“Sodu, you remember seeing the real sky too, right?”

 

“Yes. Because I followed you there, Hyung-nim.”

 

“How was the real thing? Did you like it?”

 

At the man’s words, Sodu fell silent for a moment.

 

Did I like it?

 

The real sky?

 

“Not at all. I couldn’t even see any stars in the real sky. It was just a pitch-black night sky because it was completely covered in clouds. Right, the moon! Except for the fact that a single moon looked huge, I think the sky of the Illusion City was better.”

 

“Right.”

 

“But.”

 

“But?”

 

The sky of the Illusion City was always clear. Naturally, it should have been better to look at. Although there was no moon, the stars were bright, there were no clouds, and it always stayed the same.

 

“Ever since then, our sky has felt seriously unpleasant. I don’t really know the reason. Doesn’t it just feel uncomfortable? Why. Do you know the reason then, Hyung-nim?”

 

Sodu rubbed his bald head. The man placed his hand on top of Sodu’s empty head.

 

“That’s because its freedom was taken away.”

 

The empty sky of the Illusion City was deprived of its freedom.

 

“The freedom to be cloudy, the freedom not to hold stars, the freedom to let darkness fall when it chooses, the freedom to let it rain. Beauty that has been stripped of so many freedoms is, in truth, entirely hollow. Sodu, we didn’t form these rebels just to screw over Enet; we made them to see the sky again. So we have to look forward to finding new people, too.”

 

“….I didn’t know you had thought that far ahead. The freedom to hold no stars. You’re poetic.”

 

The man shook his head. Because these words weren’t something he said first, but words left behind by the person who had first proposed creating the rebel army.

 

***

 

Kim Daecheol was horrified. He doubted his eyes. Have I been working too much? He poked his eye once with his thick finger, shed a tear, and looked at the status window again.

 

“……Did you manipulate this?”

 

The boss pointed at the status window with trembling fingers. The part-timer fell backward as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.

 

“Have you ever heard of someone manipulating a status window?”

 

Hwashin extended his finger and revealed the hidden information.

 

[ Name: Yoo Hwashin

Residence: Illusion City

 

[ Physical: 50 ] [ Intelligence: 78 ][ Light: Unmeasurable….(Expand) ][ Owned Abilities: Word Command (Unknown), Prophet (Unknown), Physical Enhancement (Unknown).. ]

 

*At the request of the status window holder, other information is hidden.

*At the request of the holder, the ‘Light’ information is expanded.

 

[ Light: Unmeasurable

God definitely loves you. Otherwise, would He have given such brilliant life force to a mere human? Furthermore, with this number, it’s clear you’ve lived for at least over 200 years. The amount of light you’ve gathered all this time is considerable. If you put your mind to it, you could even pay for the daily sales of all the restaurants in an entire district with light instead.

 

The unmeasurable amount of light doesn’t overflow either. It will forever protect you in that place, always seemingly on the verge of overflowing but never quite doing so. But keep this in mind. Even love comes to an end someday. ]

 

Even I’m seeing the detailed information for the first time. What caught Hwashin’s eye were the words on the status window, ‘comes to an end.’

 

Who was operating the status window here? The place where Cha Jaeha lived was developed by humanity, and the place Riel had told him about before was created by a god called the Absolute.

 

I thought it was Enet in the 「Battery War」.

 

“I-I failed to recognize a noble person. Hah…. Just what in the world is this number. U-Understood for now. I’ll tell the customers separately…”

 

“Ah, about that.”

 

Hwashin gestured to the boss. When he poked his head out, Hwashin whispered something in his ear. The boss nodded his head saying he understood and left. He also didn’t forget to bow repeatedly to express his gratitude.

 

“Yeah~ Right, right.”

 

It’s understandable that he’s thankful. How much would the customers buy if I said it was free?

 

“Well, then.”

 

Resting his chin on his hand, Hwashin smiled at Kim Daecheol with an utterly satisfied face. Kim Daecheol stealthily averted his eyes. When he averted his eyes, Cha Jaeha was glaring at him next to Hwashin. When he averted his eyes again, this time the two high school-looking boys were looking up at him brightly.

 

“Ugh.”

 

“I proved it, didn’t I? The rest aren’t at that level, but they’re all worth testing. If we didn’t have the skills, we wouldn’t even be able to join the rebel army in the first place, would we?”

 

“….Are all of you going to take the test like this?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But aren’t these two boys too young?”

 

“If they flick their fingers a few times, this shop will be ruined. You know too, Kim Dae-cheol-ssi. How Light can be utilized if used properly.” 

 

Kim Daecheol let out a groan once again. He grabbed the back of his neck once and looked up at the ceiling framed with wooden pillars.

 

Looking up was a habit he had since his rebel army days. ….If that guy is still the commander, the testing site would still be there.

 

“I understand. I suppose that was your purpose for seeking me out from the start.” 

 

“Something like that.”

 

Yoo Jian, who had been picking at the meat, opened her mouth.

 

“Originally, we were supposed to chase you around, Mister. Although we found out about the rebel army thanks to this guy.”

 

“….Is it because I was the vice-commander? But I really have no intention of going back. The reason my life got so tangled up is all because of that. It sounds good on the surface, but in the end, it’s just a criminal group. You might want to think it over—”

 

“No.”

 

“…..”

 

“Shall we go take the test at that time instead?”

 

Hwashin slyly glanced at Cha Jaeha.

 

“Our friend here hates dragging things out.”

 

***

 

“It’s here.”

 

The place they arrived at was the 6th District of the Illusion City. It was a place not too far from Kim Daecheol’s house.

 

The Illusion City only had Districts 1 through 5 registered as areas where citizens could reside or do business.

 

District 6 was an abandoned space with only derelict buildings remaining. Most of the people living there were criminals hiding from Enet and the police, or homeless people with nowhere else to go. 

 

The framework of the arch-shaped iron gate remained bare. The iron gate had been broken for a long time, so it was practically a place anyone could enter.

 

“I know it’s not really the time to say this here, but really, again—.”

 

“Let’s go in without dragging things out.”

 

Cha Jaeha stepped forward ahead of Kim Daecheol. His frowning face was filled with annoyance.

 

‘Even in the original work, Cha Jaeha didn’t like this dungeon.’

 

The 「Battery War」 was the longest among the dungeon episodes Cha Jaeha entered. Because it wasn’t a dungeon that ended in a day or two. Moreover, the situation was one where the difference between the concept of time inside and the concept of time outside hadn’t been properly proven.

 

It was natural for Cha Jaeha to be displeased about a Red Gate, which even mobilized American heroes, remaining open for a long time.

 

“Jaeha Hyung seems angry, doesn’t he.”

 

“Does it look that way to your eyes, Mueum?”

 

“Because it’s the first time it’s taken Hyung this long to clear a gate. Doesn’t it look that way to your eyes, Hyung?”

 

Hwashin smiled, his long eyes curving.

“To my eyes, he just looks like an anxious dog.”

 

“….You’re probably the only one who treats Jaeha Hyung like a dog, Hyung.”

 

Rather than treating him like a dog.

 

—Knowing him too well?

 

‘Right, Riel. That’s it.’

 

Cha Jaeha is clumsy at expressing his emotions. He’s also bad at revealing his weaknesses, and aside from nagging, he speaks extremely little. He’s a good comrade when working, but it’s hard to get closer than that.

 

Furthermore, normally, this dungeon should have come to a more mature Cha Jaeha.

 

So Cha Jaeha will change in this dungeon. Probably, very much.

 

Kim Daecheol said.

 

“If you go a little further inside from here—”

 

“You guys there, stop for a moment.”

 

A heavy voice was heard from behind Lee Suho and Yoo Jian, who were following the ones walking ahead.

 

“W-whoa.”

 

Startled, Lee Suho hid behind Yoo Jian, and Yoo Jian adjusted her posture to take out the axe she had hidden in her status window’s inventory.

 

“How did you get this far in? You would have had to pass through quite a complex side path to get here.” 

 

The bald man narrowed his eyes.

 

‘One, two, ….five of them. If they aren’t applicants…’

 

It was then.

 

The man’s small eyes widened vertically.

 

Behind the annoying face of the silver-haired man.

 

“….Park Sodu.”

 

Because a familiar face had appeared.

 

“…Vice Commander Hyung-nim….? H-Hyung-nim, what brings you here?”

 

The man pushed past the others and ran to Kim Daecheol in a flash. Delivering a passionate hug, he bawled his eyes out.

 

“Oh my gosh, Hyung-nim! Do you know how much we waited for you! I didn’t know you would return in glory like this, even bringing applicants with you. Oh my goosh!”

 

“W-wait a minute. Sodu. I didn’t return, I just took on the role of guiding the way.”

 

Sodu pulled his face away, sniffing. 

 

“Yes? Guiding the way? …You’re not returning?”

 

“Right. Where is he? Is he inside?”

 

“He’s at the testing site with the other applicants. ….Right, then these guys are really….”

 

He scanned the surroundings again slowly. Sodu tilted his head. Of course, anyone could apply. But, well, they didn’t look like they’d be of much help. 

 

“Understood for now. Let’s go inside. If our Hyung-nim brought them, there’s no need for a background check, right.”

 

Following the man named Sodu, they went inside. At the place they arrived, a white circle about 5 meters in diameter that looked like an arena was drawn on the floor. A flickering incandescent fluorescent light shone on the center of the arena. Beyond the light, in the gaps of the shadows, numerous people whose faces couldn’t be seen were sitting.

 

“Hyung-nim! Vice Commander Hyung-nim has returned!”

 

“I told you I didn’t return.”

 

“….Really? Daecheol is?”

 

A man sitting in the center among the crowd of people stood up from his seat. Coming into the light, he was a male who looked to be in his 30s. With his hair, which was about the same length as Yoo Jian’s, loosely tied back, the man was wearing baggy green work clothes.

 

A man with snake-like features. Exactly as described in the novel.

 

“Welcome back, Daecheol.”

 

He leaned his upper body to the side at an angle.

 

“Are these the applicants?”

 

Did you bring guests since you’re visiting for the first time in a while?

 

His sharp impression softened when he smiled. He bit down on the smoking pipe he was holding in one hand and turned his body.

 

“Shall we postpone the celebration until later. Since there are guests who came first. Sodu, turn on some more switches. I don’t think we need to save light today.”

 

“Yes, Hyung-nim!”

 

When Park Sodu strode over and pressed a switch in the corner, all the lights surrounding the arena turned on. Those hidden in the darkness also revealed themselves. Most of them looked to be in their 30s, but there were occasionally those in their 20s, or even younger.

 

“You probably know what kind of organization we are.”

 

The man looked up at the sky once and blew out smoke.

 

The man’s eyes turned toward Hwashin again.

 

‘Oh my.’

 

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten this kind of feeling. A feeling of the senses of my entire body standing on end. A feeling of 10 snakes crawling up my body starting from my toes. A decent sense of tension I haven’t felt in a while.

 

“My name is Heo Mu-gong, and I am the commander of the Illusion City Rebels—the Illusion Rebels. I welcome all of you applicants.” 

 

Heo Mugong.

 

He was the only opponent among the characters appearing in <Your Hero Is Here> who had defeated Cha Jaeha.