I tend to swear quite a bit.
Not that I ever truly mean it.
The word ‘f*ck’ had simply solidified into an exclamation for me, and during my military service, I’d heard far more horrifying curses.
Having heard them so often, they’d reached a point where they’d automatically replay in my mind.
In English, Korean, and even Arabic.
When it came to swearing, I was quite confident in my multilingual abilities.
‘You’re the one who told me to do it.’
Striving to meet her demands as best I could, I opened my mouth.
****
A long while later.
She gasped for breath, her fingers idly toying with her white hair.
The red gem embedded in her black robe shimmered in rhythm with her ragged breathing.
“Why can’t aberrations swear?”
I inquired, prompted by her vague explanation.
I had been somewhat taken aback when she’d shouted for me to stop swearing, declaring it was enough.
Wiping away beads of cold sweat, she retorted sharply.
Her face, pale as it was, first wore an expression of relief, only to quickly contort into one of fury.
“Even if an aberration could swear, I doubt they could do it like that, could they? To me… how could… such… human malice…”
‘Honestly, I only swore after you asked me to, and I even put thought into it.’
‘Why is she reacting like that?’
I began scrolling down to read the announcement post she had mentioned.
“Kozmo again, who exactly is this person?”
Only after reading the announcement did my curiosity find its answer.
‘So that’s why she asked me to swear?’
It all made sense.
Then, she informed me of another post concerning the neutral zone.
This time, I approached it with a bit more mental composure.
‘Wait, this place is swarming with cannibals?’
My composure vanished.
I could feel sweat beading on my fingertips.
I glanced around warily.
No such signs were apparent in my surroundings.
Especially since the post emphasized their sense of smell, didn’t that imply cannibals possessed an acute olfactory ability?
‘I bled so much, so why am I perfectly fine?’
Just reading the post, it sounded as if the scent of blood would immediately turn one into a meal.
Still, anomalies did exist in this world.
‘Even so, I should be careful. Humans are always the scariest.’
With the elf’s assistance, the bleeding had ceased.
My back still throbbed from the burns, but it wasn’t unbearable.
“Hmm…”
I quietly rose and surveyed my surroundings.
The darkness, coupled with numerous pillars, seemed to offer ample cover.
Everyone knew that such locations made one particularly vulnerable to surprise attacks.
I couldn’t gauge the extent of the elf’s abilities.
Nor did I know the cannibals’ level of strength.
In short, there were far too many variables at play.
My body remained relaxed, yet my eyes swiftly scanned the area.
“Is the treatment finished?”
“Almost? Aside from the burns and my arm, I’m pretty much fine.”
To my subtly friendly question, she responded with informal speech.
However, as if bothered by her informality, her eyes darted anxiously to mine.
I let out a soft chuckle and asked,
“So, shall we part ways now? The post mentioned that venturing deeper leads to the next horror story.”
‘Is there any reason to continue talking?’
‘In a crazy place where cannibals roam, should I leisurely chat?’
‘Sorry, but I have no such intention.’
‘Oh, right. Did I thank her?’
“I’m truly grateful for the healing. And if you need anything, just tell me. I’ll compensate you for whatever it is.”
“…Huh?”
The conversation paused momentarily.
Maintaining my vigilance of the surroundings, I glanced at her during the awkward silence.
She was staring at me, her face a picture of bewilderment.
“No, I mean… your body is still so hurt, and you’re going to the next horror story? You could die!”
“I’m mostly healed. You’re quite good at healing.”
“Of course, I’m a healing-type Awakened.”
As if realizing her slip, her lips pressed together, and she adopted a quiet poker face.
“…”
Her long eyelashes lowered once, then fluttered back up.
That single blink seemed almost to invite me somewhere.
As the shadow of her lashes suggested, she subtly inquired,
“Aren’t you curious about Awakened individuals…? Despite how I look, I’m quite a veteran.”
‘Hmm…’
To be honest,
I felt Kozmo or other fixed ID (TL Note: ‘gonik,’ referring to users with a permanent, registered ID on an online forum, often indicating a long-term or well-known member) users would likely know even more.
Besides, I was currently feeling uneasy, which made me somewhat reluctant to speak.
“I’m quite, quite the impressive veteran.”
Nevertheless, her intentions were so transparent that I decided not to refuse.
“Then, perhaps we can talk a little longer.”
Seeing her eyes sparkle, it seemed this elf hadn’t conversed with someone in quite some time.
“Instead, let’s walk a bit. The thought of cannibals stalking me is horrific.”
She nodded, nodded, nodded.
We began to walk.
Through the strange, seemingly cold and utterly devoid-of-temperature space.
****
I listened to various speculations about Awakened individuals.
Most of them, I concluded, were rather meaningless conjectures.
I also heard a few pieces of information, but these were mostly things I had already experienced firsthand.
It was simply the method of leveling up, with a little more detail added.
That was the gist of most of it.
Just a bit more flesh added to what I’d already learned through experience.
Considering it useful information, I roughly mulled it over and stored it away.
More significantly, I learned how to use the shop and other systems.
“There’s a lot in the shop.”
I had accumulated a good amount of mileage points.
‘Perhaps it was thanks to burning all those grotesque heads.’
{ Shop }
Current Mileage
: 102P
[Food]
[Daily Necessities]
[Hobbies]
. . .
“Yeah, it even pays attention to clothes and hobbies. Isn’t that strange?”
She quietly spoke about hobbies.
However, I furrowed my brow.
‘It feels too artificial?’
The moment I saw it, I sensed something amiss.
Even as she spoke, I kept my gaze fixed on the shop.
When I maintained my serious silence for a moment, she hastily stopped speaking.
“Ah, was I talking too much about myself…? Sorry.”
“No, it’s just… doesn’t this shop seem designed with the sole purpose of helping one survive here for a long time?”
“…Shouldn’t it be? Everyone wants to live, right?”
“What are you talking about? If it’s a system like this, shouldn’t it help with escape, not just settling down somewhere?”
It was a structure akin to a system within a game.
As one’s level rose, they grew stronger.
And in most games, the reason for ‘getting stronger’ is usually geared towards ‘clearing’ the game.
I, too, had been thinking with ‘clearing’ as my objective.
But then, what was this?
[Weapons]
– Military Knife – 100P
– Machete – 80P
. . .
The weapons were expensive, and their quality seemed shoddy.
The fact that they were relegated to the very bottom shelf even made me suspect it was a deliberate placement.
‘Am I overthinking this?’
Perhaps it meant nothing at all.
Still, if this Awakened system merely existed for complacency… I doubted I could tolerate it.
I had endured that hellish ordeal, naturally assuming I would eventually escape.
‘What if escape is impossible?’
A bitter smile touched my lips.
“I’ve never heard that perspective before… Now that I think about it, you’re right, aren’t you?”
She began to ponder something deeply.
Occasionally, she would look at me with eyes full of awe.
Honestly, wasn’t it better to see hope, even if convoluted, than to simply contemplate a comfortable existence?
I resolved to steady myself once more.
Thus, we walked in silence, punctuated by occasional conversations.
We continued walking, then rested in one spot, and I received further treatment.
As a considerable amount of time passed, I felt myself growing closer to her.
During this time, I organized my thoughts.
It became clear to me that to survive in this world, I would inevitably have to rely on the gallery (TL Note: an online forum or imageboard).
‘I’ll need more information.’
Taking this opportunity, I scrolled to check other announcements.
Most were posts by Kozmo, with occasional ones from the Admin (TL Note: ‘judak,’ referring to the head moderator of an online forum).
‘I should look into this fixed ID user later.’
‘I even feel like asking them directly.’
There were also several posts not authored by Kozmo.
I rapidly read through those posts, absorbing the information.
By discerning the quality of the posts while absorbing information, I gained quite a lot.
However, most of it was forum-specific.
Or knowledge pertaining to truly low-grade horror stories, like F-rank or D-rank.
‘Even so, I learned that once you enter a higher-grade horror story, you can never re-enter a lower-grade one.’
I re-read the useful post, committing it to memory.
‘Such a moment of reflection was indeed necessary.’
Upon reflection, it would be unreasonable to venture into another horror story while my body was still unwell.
I suppose I became a little too hasty at the mention of cannibals.
{ Health is below 50% }
{ Blood volume returns to normal }
{ Penalty lifted }
Feeling a bit more at ease, though not relaxing my vigilance of the surroundings, I continued checking the gallery.
Hmm, most of the announcements posted to help me had been taken down.
The Admin was truly a thoughtful person.
After all, wasn’t an Admin (TL Note: ‘judak,’ referring to the head moderator of an online forum) typically someone who cleaned up trash unpaid?
Cleaning up not just literal trash, but also forum members who spread all sorts of self-made nonsense.
Despite having such a grueling job, they understood I had no time to hastily take down posts myself.
So they had pinned the fixed ID (TL Note: ‘gonik,’ referring to users with a permanent, registered ID on an online forum, often indicating a long-term or well-known member) users’ posts to the announcements for easy reading.
They were certainly adorable…
‘Though the problem was their use of strange, incomprehensible emoticons.’
Regardless, they seemed to be a kind-hearted person.
I felt a certain kinship with them.
‘How’s the gallery doing?’
Suddenly, I wondered if those who had helped me were doing well.
After all, I had only sent one brief post to report my survival.
Since things were this way, I decided to report my survival and also inform them of my intention to go to the next horror story.
With that, I checked the gallery.
You Guys Never Listen [9] – Admin
Running Through the Chaos [31] – Deviant
Wild Resilience < Is this bastard daring to monopolize all the fun stuff? I like them? [2] – High Court Fu123ck, Tetoyudong, hurry up and post! [4] – Gourmand Guys, stop posting so much… [0] – Admin The atmosphere was unusual. “Hmm…?” You Guys Never Listen Author: Admin (Aberration emoticon filled with fury) From now on, I’m grabbing a stick. If you burn firewood above this post… (Aberration emoticon staring intently forward) Well, try it if you’re curious. – This account has been temporarily suspended. – This account has been temporarily suspended. – This account has been temporarily suspended. – This account has been temporarily suspended. ㄴ Admin) Good. See how nice it is when everyone’s quiet. (Aberration emoticon holding a bat) ‘Hmm, they’re doing well.’ The atmosphere seemed peaceful. Yes, probably. As I slightly curved my lips into a smile, an objection immediately came from beside me. “You look better when you smile. When you weren’t saying anything, you were really scary.” My laughter wasn’t profuse. But I wasn’t a cold-blooded person who never smiled, either. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been told I look scary before.’ I responded with a playful joke, then slowed my pace a little. As my steps eased, the tension loosened. Meaningless chatter flowed between us. “Why don’t you make a fixed ID?” “…Ah, you’re right.” I had forgotten something quite important. The moment had come for me to get a fixed ID. Tetoyudong, Zhao Zilong Newbie, Jangpanpa… What was this? I reread my past posts, pondering what to name myself. What kind of nicknames had these bastards come up with? “How about ‘Flowing Grillz’? The sound of it is good.” “‘Horror Grillz’ would probably be better.” I could even crack silly jokes. Indeed, people need other people. Oh, right, I’m talking to an elf, aren’t I? My heart felt like it was melting from talking after such a long time myself. After ‘that incident,’ I had spent years alone at home, after all. Conversation truly was good. “Are you going to the next horror story too?” “…No, I have something I absolutely must do here.” She said, stroking the red gem on her robe. Her serious expression and resolute demeanor clearly indicated a firm decision. I didn’t ask further, simply nodding. She turned her head to look at me, then smiled and asked for my name. “What’s your name? I’m Eldras.” “Han Siyoung.” “What? I thought your name would be something like Antaras.” “Antaras is what the hell…?” “It was the name of a very formidable monster in my homeland.” “So you think I look like a monster?” As we engaged in meaningless chatter, even the quiet, eerie place seemed to gradually lose its edge. Just for a moment. . . . { Danger level escalates } { Current danger level: B- > B++ }
