Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 85

“I never imagined a space like this existed inside a Gate. And besides…”

 

Kang San pointed at the window shimmering before his eyes.

 

“Is this… the same system as ours?”

 

[ Rosanne’s younger sister was trapped in the basement warehouse. The giant loved beautiful things. He collected the most beautiful things wherever he traveled. Jewels, books, maps, people. If it looked beautiful to his eyes, he gathered it indiscriminately and stashed it in the warehouse. Whenever he wanted to see something beautiful, the giant would go into that room and sit for a while. ]

 

“It reads like a fairy tale.”

 

Cha Jaeha explained the Red Gates to Kang San, just as Yoo Hwashin had once done.

 

1. Inside a Red Gate, there is a dungeon.

 

2. That dungeon has a story, and you must ensure the protagonist of that story does not die.

 

3. There are various ways to clear the dungeon and close the gate, but the most important thing is ‘the protagonist’s will to continue living.’

 

4. If you die inside the dungeon, the corpse disappears.

 

Kang San moved his lips as if reciting the contents.

 

Especially the last one.

 

4. If you die inside the dungeon, the corpse disappears.

 

‘Is that how they found out? Because of Yoo Hwashin-ssi?’ 

 

Kang San had many thoughts while following Cha Jaeha.

 

He even felt it was strange how calm his attitude seemed.

 

‘His comrade died, and he’s not even sad?’

 

Even at the press conference, Yoo Jian and Jeong Mueum had swollen eyes, but Cha Jaeha was perfectly fine. He merely conducted the press conference with his characteristic monotone voice.

 

‘…How heartless.’

 

Even if it was for a short time, they were comrades. Kang San shook his head. What was he thinking right now? Regardless, the only person he could rely on here was the man in front of him.

 

“For now, it seems the protagonist, Rosanne, is heading to the basement, so we will head that way.”

 

“…Ah, yes! But how will we get in…”

 

Whoosh.

 

The wooden door of the massive castle went up in flames. Cha Jae-ha stepped inside with a simple “Let’s go.” It wasn’t loud, but the result was spectacular. I mean… who blasts through a castle’s main gate like that? 

 

Kang San suppressed his urge to complain and hurriedly followed behind him.

 

‘…This dungeon won’t be hard.’

 

Does size reflect the difficulty level? I should report this to Mr. Ha Cheongwon later.

 

The interior of the castle was cold and filled with enough moisture to feel damp. Perhaps because it was a castle where a giant lived, all the furniture was massive. They headed down, passing sofa pillars that were much taller than Cha Jaeha. During that time, there was no sign of the giant.

 

“…..Um, Cha Jaeha-ssi.”

 

“Speak.” 

 

“…Is it always like this? It’s different from what I imagined. I thought monsters would jump out of nowhere. And the Boss monster… I don’t see it anywhere?”

 

“….Well, there are dungeons like that. The types are quite diverse.”

 

“….Ah, I see. It’s really unique.”

 

While they were descending to the basement, windows floated into the air several times. This time, the protagonist seemed quite fired up with motivation.

 

「 Just a little further down! My sister must be down there! 」

 

「 Haa. Haa. Rosanne ran down the spiral staircase, panting. The scabbard at her waist clattered. Once I get my sister out of the basement, we’ll leave immediately through the secret passage I scouted. 」

 

She even scouted a secret passage already.

 

….Thinking about the story for a moment, Cha Jaeha came to a sudden halt.

 

“…Why, in the first place?”

 

Cha Jaeha began to quickly scan the dungeons he had seen so far in his mind.

 

The Prince of Albion, Ghost Stories at School, Battery War, etc. All were situations where the protagonists were in desperate crises.

 

Rosanne, the protagonist here, was in a crisis, but it wasn’t exactly her crisis. Furthermore, she was currently full of resolve to save her sister.

 

So, all he had to do here was defeat the giant.

 

But was that necessary? If Rosanne succeeded in escaping through the secret passage, wouldn’t the story just end? In that case, this dungeon would close even if he didn’t intervene. He didn’t need to prevent a suicide like he did with Kim Daecheol, or step in for them. He didn’t need to save someone from the darkness like with Lee Suho, nor did he need to deal with a traitor like the Albion fellow.

 

Cha Jaeha recalled something Hwashin had mentioned in passing.

 

—When it seems like there’s nothing left to solve, it’s easy if you think about cause and effect. If this happened, what was the cause? Sometimes, the cause of a result that hasn’t happened yet is already occurring. That’s why we can prepare for the future. 

 

Sometimes even a result that hasn’t happened yet.

 

Cha Jaeha bit his lip hard.

 

“….Dammit. Kang San-ssi?” 

 

“Yes?”

 

“Run, starting now!”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“We have to get there before the giant!”

 

Having said that, Cha Jaeha began to sprint down the stairs.

 

No, just what on earth is happening.

 

Huff— huff. 

 

Kang San was gasping for air. How did it make sense for him to keep up with the speed of an S-rank hero?

 

It was a blessing it was a staircase going down… if it were a staircase going up… Hah. Hah.

 

“Excuse me, why, all of a sudden.”

 

“The one thing you must avoid at all costs in this dungeon is ‘the death of the protagonist.’ That woman Rosanne is still alive, but there’s a high probability she’ll die soon. She just doesn’t know it, but from the giant’s perspective, he’s already moving toward her. That’s why we were brought here.” 

 

In front of the basement door. Light was visible through a slightly open crack. Seeing the orange light leaking into the hallway, he slowly approached the door. Kang San hid behind Cha Jaeha and followed him closely.

 

“Hattie, are you okay…?” 

 

“Thank you for saving…”

 

“It was nothing…”

 

There were three voices starting to be heard along with the light. Cha Jaeha slowly opened the door. As he pushed open the ungreased wooden door, the first thing he saw was two blonde women.

 

“….Oh, um. …..Who are you?” 

 

Two hands held together. A woman with a ponytail, hiding a young girl behind her, gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist.

 

“You don’t need to be on guard. We are here to help you…….”

 

Cha Jaeha’s gaze instantly fixed elsewhere.

 

Besides the girls, the treasure warehouse was filled with other ‘items.’ Beautiful items collected by the giant. He called these treasures and tried his best not to damage their value. Among them were jewels, a fairy tale book by an author that no one had opened yet, and a pirate map where treasure was hidden.

 

Among them was Rosanne’s sister. The giant collected anything as long as it was beautiful, even if it were a person.

 

And among those beautiful people, there was a face familiar to Cha Jaeha.

 

“…..Yoo Hwashin-ssi?” 

 

It was Kang San who spoke his name first. A silver-haired man was picking out jewels behind the Rosanne sisters. Right next to the man lay a severed ankle that seemed to belong to the giant. Since his clothes were soaked in blood, it was clear he was the one who had dealt with it.

 

“…No, wait.”

 

Kang San’s lips were trembling.

 

He felt the hair all over his body stand on end. Kang San slumped right there on the spot. Was the person he was seeing now a ghost?

 

When the silver-haired ghost in the form of Yoo Hwashin reached out a hand toward him, Kang San slowly took that hand.

 

“It’s too w… warm to be a g-ghost.” 

 

As Kang San stammered, Hwashin gave a relaxed smile, just like their first meeting.

 

“Of course it’s warm. I’m a living person. It’s been a while, Kang San-ssi?” 

 

“B-but Yoo Hwa-shin-ssi was reported dead….. Huh? But how do you know me…” 

 

Hwashin clasped Kang San’s hands. Instead, Hwashin looked at Kang San with a face filled with emotion.

 

“How could I not know! You wrote those articles about me so well. Plus, I read the special SH1 Unit articles you frequently wrote with the Association with great satisfaction; they brought out the charm of my kids perfectly. Well, I’m glad I remembered your face that day. In the future, please keep up the good—”

 

He was just about to ask for a favor.

 

The world flipped upside down. He felt a dull pain in his left cheek.

 

Is this what it feels like when the face and neck are separated? The feeling of the torso and head being disconnected.

 

Hwashin’s body spun once in the air and tumbled onto a pile of jewels with a loud crash. Rosanne jumped up in surprise. Her younger sister gripped Rosanne’s wrist tightly.

 

“Yoo Hwashin-ssi!?” 

 

Kang San was also shocked and quickly crawled toward the fallen Hwashin. Though the flaw was that his crawling speed was slower than Cha Jaeha’s footsteps.

 

Cha Jaeha approached and grabbed Hwashin by the collar. Hwashin’s body was forcibly hoisted up by his hand.

 

“Ack.”

 

“……Yoo Hwashin.”

 

Hwashin, holding his swollen cheek, put on a pitiful expression.

 

“…Jaeha-ya, your punch is too strong.” 

 

Ppii, who had been in Cha Jaeha’s pocket, scurried up onto Hwashin’s shoulder as soon as it spotted its owner. Ppii tapped Cha Jaeha’s hand, which was gripping its true owner’s collar.

 

“Can’t you just say ‘Welcome back’?” 

 

As Hwashin laughed with a brazen face, Cha Jaeha ground his molars hard once more. Grind. 

 

‘….Didn’t his molar just break?’

 

Kang San, watching the fierce mental battle between the two from below, thought. And besides, what on earth was going on?

 

Seeing Cha Jaeha’s reaction, it seemed certain that Yoo Hwashin had really died. Then why…. was he alive here? His already confused mind grew even dizzier.

 

One thing was for sure: he had landed a massive exclusive scoop here.

 

“Jaeha….? I’ve been hanging here so long, I can’t breathe.”

 

As Hwashin stuck out his tongue, feigning suffocation, Cha Jaeha spoke in a low voice. 

 

“A kind hero…”

 

…..?

 

“Offers the other cheek when the right one is struck.” 

 

Cha Jaeha smiled with a face Hwashin had never seen before. A heavy punch flew toward Hwashin once again. Hwashin’s cheek, which absorbed the force like a cushion, was ruined, and he rolled across the floor in the opposite direction this time. Roll roll.

 

Flipped over like an acorn and leaning his back against a wall, Hwashin shouted. 

 

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be happy when I return?!”

 

…Cha Jaeha, you crazy b*stard.

 

Is it okay for a protagonist to be this strong? His two struck cheeks puffed up as if he’d been stung by bees. While fallen, Hwashin’s eyes met the severed head of the giant he had killed. After he went ahead and took care of the giant for them, this was the treatment he got? 

 

Just as Hwashin was about to grumble, Cha Jaeha stood before him again.

 

“Talk.”

 

“….Eh?”

 

The heavy voice interrogated Hwashin.

 

“Tell me exactly what happened. Said it.” 

 

It was a warning that if he didn’t answer, another heavy fist would be flying his way.