Chapter 297
The Train on Day 7 ended pleasantly for every participant in the city.
Seojun had achieved his goal. The pros had cooperated with him perfectly.
Even though they were losing points, they continued to help create situations in which Seojun could collect data.
The pros, too, finished Day 7 in good spirits.
Even though they had lost a day they could have spent leaving the Train and completing other special quests, and even though they had lost points to Seojun.
Their skills had improved.
And more than anything, they had fallen for the charm of a man named Seojun so completely that it wouldn’t have mattered even if their skills hadn’t improved.
He had tried to unite the pros by sacrificing himself.
He had even tried to raise their form.
How could they hate someone like that?
After learning what was truly in the heart of the streamer from Korea, their hearts felt warm and their moods lifted.
Of course, Rachel, Yohn, and Bernard, who had spent a little more time with Seojun, did not believe him at all.
They thought he must have some other scheme.
“I’m telling you, he only did that to copy our points. And the image-building was completely planned too, as far as I’m concerned. Planned.”
“Yohn. If you say that now, Lord Seojun, who’s fighting over there, might hear you.”
“Hmm… I whispered really quietly. Could he have heard me?”
Yohn’s voice gradually grew softer until it was almost inaudible.
“Yes.”
“As expected of you, big brother!”
Yohn shouted loudly, and Rachel, who had been speaking with him, shook her head in disbelief.
Bernard, who had been quietly standing beside them, said,
“It’s about to end.”
“Day 7?”
Rachel checked the time.
“Yes.”
“We’ll see him again in an hour anyway.”
And the next day, Seojun would learn the truth about the shop.
“What are we going to do in an hour? Should we keep an eye on Seojun at the beginning?”
“I don’t know, but one thing is certain, Bernard.”
“What is it, Yohn?”
“On Day 8, I’ll have to follow that…”
Yohn’s voice suddenly dropped.
“Damn big brother around.”
“Fine, speaking quietly is good, but why are you using an honorific?”
“He might hear me.”
“Yohn. It’s virtual reality. Everyone’s hearing is the same anyway.”
“Shut up. If he wants to hear, he can hear.”
“Is that what you call that mind-reading technique?”
“Exactly.”
“I’d like to learn it myself.”
“Honestly, me too.”
“Hahahaha!”
Rachel looked at the two enormous men as if they were idiots, then turned her gaze toward the center of the basement.
The fight had just ended.
“Good work!”
“You fight really well!”
“See you in the real world!”
“Good work!”
Praise from all the pros continued to pour forth.
If that wasn’t praise, then what was?
Without the slightest idea why, Seojun was doing his best not to ruin the suddenly improved image he had gained, responding to their greetings with a genial smile.
After finishing his greetings, Seojun approached them.
“As expected of you, big brother! You used image-building to make everyone obey your command!”
“…?”
“Anyway, you’ll be out in a minute.”
“Right.”
“What will you do while resting for an hour, big brother?”
“I’ll just stay in my room.”
“Won’t you get bored?”
Rachel asked curiously.
“Come to think of it, Seojun, aren’t you going outside?”
“Yeah.”
“You haven’t left your room even once in the past three days, have you? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you.”
“I haven’t.”
“Oh.”
“Wow.”
“Incredible. As expected of you, big brother.”
What was with them?
“Then you guys are going out…?”
At that moment, someone came stomping down into the basement, shouting loudly.
“Kael, come out! I said come out, you damn Kael! You’re a truly awful bastard! Seriously, wow.”
“Why is big brother…?”
“I’ve heard that voice before… Who is it?”
Everyone’s attention suddenly turned toward Seojun.
“It’s Divine Sword.”
Seojun muttered quietly.
It was time for him to log out anyway.
3.
2.
1.
***
6 p.m.
Seojun awoke from the capsule around dinnertime. He first sat up his stiff body, then stretched himself thoroughly.
After loosening up his entire body, Seojun was about to order room service as usual, but stopped.
“Come to think of it, it looks like everyone goes outside.”
Since the thought had occurred to him anyway, Seojun decided to go out as well.
First, he called his administrator using the telephone in his room.
“I’d like to go out.”
[Just a moment. Understood.]
A short while later.
Knock, knock, knock.
A staff member knocked, and when Seojun opened the door, the staff member once again reminded him of several precautions.
They also attached several small devices to his body. They were meant to prevent him from sharing information somewhere beyond the reach of their eyes.
“Thank you.”
“Yes. The restaurant is on the thirty-first floor.”
The staff member withdrew, and Seojun took his first step outside his room.
“The restaurant? Ah. So quite a few participants eat outside their rooms.”
Since there was nowhere else in particular for him to go, Seojun decided to head straight to the restaurant.
In both the hallway and the elevator, a person who looked like a bodyguard stood motionless like a mannequin. They seemed to be there for surveillance as well.
Seojun gave a faint snort.
While the elevator was going up, several participants Seojun knew got on as well. They all remained quiet without saying a word.
When he arrived at the restaurant, each table had one person assigned to it. Seojun quickly surveyed the locations and figured out how they had been arranged.
‘They’ve put people whose regions are as close as possible together.’
He could also tell that the arrangement changed every day.
The menu was a buffet.
If people freely wandered around filling their plates, the staff might miss information being exchanged through some bizarre method amid the chaos.
That was why everyone here was made to take food in an orderly single line, keeping their distance from one another.
It was good that they were being this thorough.
‘Around thirty people came out.’
He spotted Yohn, Rachel, and Bernard.
“Big brother!”
The huge Western man waved his hand.
He really ought to shave.
Seojun followed the line, filled his plate, and took a seat.
Talking wasn’t prohibited, but the tables were far apart, so everyone seemed to be quietly eating.
A few more people entered.
Divine Sword was among them.
Seojun greeted him with a wave.
The middle finger came in return.
Seojun asked the staff member standing beside him,
“Isn’t that subject to disciplinary action?”
The staff member shook his head with a regretful expression.
What a shame.
“Are there no cameras here?”
He wanted to spread footage of Divine Sword cursing and have him publicly called out.
Perhaps understanding Seojun’s intention, the staff member said,
“If it gets worse, we’ll intervene.”
In other words, they weren’t going to cooperate.
Once again disappointed, Seojun simply picked up the food he had brought over.
Divine Sword was putting food onto his plate.
As he watched, Seojun整理ed what had happened on Day 7. He hadn’t had time to organize his thoughts immediately after coming out.
‘What was that earlier?’
Why had Divine Sword returned to the Train? And why had he been looking for Seojun?
Divine Sword had been a participant who left near the end of Day 5. Since he returned near the end of Day 7, he had been gone for eight hours.
What were the odds that he had discovered something during that time?
‘Wouldn’t the world practically have to roll up its sleeves and help him before he could find anything?’
Was this man standing at the exact opposite pole from Seojun, against whom the world constantly conspired?
While he was having such pointless thoughts, Divine Sword finished filling his plate.
Instead of going to his own seat, he sat down across from Seojun.
“Is this not subject to disciplinary action?”
Seojun asked with a smile.
The staff member politely asked Divine Sword whether he could move to another seat, but when Divine Sword said he would simply remain there, the staff member said nothing more and returned to his original position.
So they weren’t being that strict. Everything would be over the moment they openly discussed the history book, anyway.
In that sense, there was no harm in talking.
Divine Sword continued to grin at Seojun.
His voice earlier had sounded angry, but this time, his smile was unpleasant.
“Are you happy?”
Seojun spoke in Korean.
Divine Sword roughly understood him, and nodded with a grin.
“Good. If you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
“Hahaha!”
This time, he even laughed loudly.
“Hahahaha!”
It seemed something good had happened to him after leaving the Train.
People nearby also began focusing on the table where they were sitting, so Seojun spoke in English this time.
“Yes. You’ve found something to live for. I’m truly relieved.”
Had he understood?
Divine Sword’s expression suddenly hardened.
“Keep your spirits up. I’m going to get some more food.”
The moment Seojun rose from his seat, Divine Sword wore a triumphant smile.
As if Seojun were about to die.
“Let’s see you keep smiling so leisurely a little later, friend.”
Chinese reached Seojun’s ears.
It was none of his concern.
“This is a warning.”
At last, the staff member’s warning could be heard as well.
That, too, was none of Seojun’s concern.
***
“That bastard is the mastermind.”
The moment Seojun returned to the history book, he doubted his own ears at the voice he heard.
“That bastard Kael is the mastermind! Hahahaha!”
So that was why he had been grinning from earlier.
How had he figured it out?
Had he simply been incredibly lucky? As if Heaven itself had embraced him?
Ha.
‘As expected, the world really is conspiring against me.’
Without showing any sign of sadness, Seojun calmly asked Divine Sword,
“What’s your proof that I’m the mastermind?”
“Huh? Hehehe. Look at you staying so calm even after being caught. Yes, you really are incredible. Truly.”
“So why are you suddenly acting like this?”
“Don’t deny it, Kael. I found a clue in the desert and used it to locate the ruins in the mountain range. Through the statue there, I received an image of the mastermind in a vision.”
“You’re saying I was there?”
“Yes! You people! Don’t believe a word this bastard says! He’s been deceiving everyone perfectly from the very beginning! Yes, after performing that well in the trials, do you really think the operations team would pass up the chance to make him the mastermind?”
Exclamations of admiration rose from the surrounding people, who had been watching the situation with interest from the moment they entered.
What Divine Sword had just said sounded quite plausible.
“I see. That is possible.”
Seojun nodded as well.
“Why are you pretending to be so calm?! The reason Taesan and I were attacked was because you were the attacker, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
As Seojun nodded, he calmly watched the reactions around him.
Most of them were observing with interest.
No one seemed to suspect Seojun yet just because they had heard Divine Sword’s claim.
‘But the seeds of suspicion have all been planted.’
It was unfortunate, but it didn’t matter much.
For now, he had to put out the immediate fire.
Seojun touched the interface window.
“But Divine Sword, when you and Taesan were attacked…”
A mask appeared over his face.
“Don’t you remember? At the time, I wasn’t in the Otherworld. I was robbing your storage locker outside.”
Oh.
More exclamations rose from the surroundings.
What Seojun had said was a proper rebuttal.
The pros seemed to be enjoying simply watching the situation unfold.
Seojun felt the same way. Honestly, it was fun.
At a glance, it seemed Divine Sword had no evidence. This was going well.
“Huh? Wha… what?”
“You know I’m right.”
“You people! What do you think? I’m telling you, this bastard is the mastermind!”
As if they would believe him.
The relationship between Divine Sword and Seojun was famous.
Without evidence, it was only natural to suspect that Divine Sword was trying to frame Seojun.
“What do you think?”
Gert answered.
“Hmm. This guy seems trustworthy?”
“Exactly. Huh? What? Him?”
“Yes. The probability of him being the mastermind is extremely low. Everyone would agree.”
“I’ll concede that.”
“Me too.”
“If he were the mastermind, he wouldn’t have acted like that earlier.”
“What…?”
Divine Sword looked back and forth between Gert and Seojun in disbelief.
“Divine Sword, I understand your resentment, but you can’t just force the issue like that.”
“What are you talking about? Die! If I hit him, something’s bound to come out!”
Divine Sword swung his sword at him again, and Seojun dodged it leisurely.
The people around them snickered as if they were watching a sitcom.
“We couldn’t even hit him. There’s no way you can.”
“And you’re trying to frame Kael, who was thinking of us? Do you really expect us to believe that?”
“I almost feel sorry for Divine Sword. I told you, you can never beat him.”
The last one was Yohn.
“No, I’m telling you, he really is the mastermind! Give me a hand!”
“Even with help, it won’t work. We tried three against one.”
Someone spoke up.
“What are you even talking about? Ha. Ah, seriously, I’m telling you it’s true. I can even take you to the ruins. I was thinking of cooperating with him too. Come on.”
Divine Sword stopped attacking and began to sound slightly tearful. He looked that frustrated.
Why on earth had he been so cocky earlier?
Had he not expected this?
Seojun turned around. He would simply leave Divine Sword alone and go.
“Well then, let’s go see the shop.”
And then.
Divine Sword suddenly realized something and shouted,
“Ah! Wow! Look at this! That bastard isn’t killing me! It’s because he’s the mastermind! If it were just his personality, he’d kill me because he was tired of dealing with me, but since he’s the mastermind, he’s holding back! He’s worried a motion might come out!”
Oh.
More exclamations of admiration came from the surrounding people.
These insane pros, seriously.
“Yeah, I’m just leaving. If you’re curious, follow me.”
It was technically true, so Seojun hurried away from his seat.
“Argh!”