City of Traps
After a brief reunion, everyone, including myself, gathered in the central living room. Ansol was nowhere to be seen, but faint breathing from the adjacent room suggested she was still unconscious.
The living room was thick with an inexplicable tension, like the calm before a storm. It seemed I had arrived at a rather inopportune moment.
Though it wasn’t exactly a heartwarming reunion, the atmosphere was far from what I had expected, leaving me feeling uneasy. Ahn Hyun wore an awkward expression, while Lee Yoo-jung and Kim Han-byeol exchanged heated glances, as if a disagreement had erupted between them. I caught a snippet of Kim Han-byeol shouting, but I decided to get the full story later.
After a stretch of uncomfortable silence, Ahn Hyun, looking weary, was the first to speak.
“Hyung, I’m not sure where to start. I’m really grateful for your help in getting us out of the forest. And I’m truly sorry for leaving without waiting for you. I know it’s just an excuse, but I wanted to say it.”
Watching Ahn Hyun bow his head, I couldn’t help but smile inwardly. He knew when to stand firm and when to apologize. Though his neutral stance sometimes made me uneasy, it was reassuring to see he wasn’t entirely reckless. I shook my head at his sincere apology and spoke in a soothing tone.
“I was a bit surprised when I couldn’t find you guys at first.”
“I’m really sorry. I have no excuse.”
“There’s no need to keep apologizing. I’m sure you had your reasons. But where’s your sister?”
“Ah… about that…”
“Hey, Ahn Hyun. Let me explain. Is that okay, oppa?”
Just as Ahn Hyun was about to speak, Lee Yoo-jung cut in swiftly. Her casual tone with me was a testament to her sociable nature. I would have preferred to hear from the usually calm Kim Han-byeol, but seeing his furrowed brow, I nodded silently.
“So, when you led those things into the forest…”
With Ahn Hyun’s nod of agreement, Lee Yoo-jung began her explanation, occasionally glancing at Kim Han-byeol. Her account was brief and to the point, though it left out some details. Since I already had a rough idea of the situation, I didn’t press for more. However…
“A ghost appeared out of nowhere?”
“Yeah, but thinking back, it wasn’t exactly a ghost. It wasn’t completely invisible. I could vaguely see wings and its path. But no matter how much Hyun slashed at it, it wouldn’t fall.”
This part piqued my interest, so I turned to Ahn Hyun, who closed his eyes, trying to recall the event. After a moment, he spoke slowly.
“Yoo-jung’s right. I swung with all my might, but it felt like I was just slicing through air.”
Slicing through air. Visible yet not fully transparent. Wings. As I pieced these clues together, a memory flashed in my mind.
A wraith. The mention of a semi-transparent figure with wings immediately brought wraiths to mind. Wraiths are creatures impervious to physical attacks, inflicting mental anguish as they pass through people. Ahn Hyun must have endured their attacks multiple times, suggesting some level of control during the initiation.
Listening to their story, a question arose. How did they escape the wraiths without a conventional method to defeat them? I decided to use Ansol as a segue.
“So, did those things hurt your sister?”
Ahn Hyun shook his head slowly. His ensuing story left me dumbfounded. The wraiths, seeing Ahn Hyun’s fierce resistance, focused their attacks on him. Overwhelmed by pain, he eventually dropped his sword and shield. In that critical moment, it was Ansol who saved him.
I asked for more details, but Ahn Hyun couldn’t elaborate. Neither could Lee Yoo-jung nor Kim Han-byeol. They only recalled Ansol screaming, followed by a burst of white light from her body, after which the attackers vanished. Ansol then collapsed and hasn’t regained consciousness since.
After hearing their account, I nodded. Ahn Hyun, after a brief silence, looked at me with a worried expression.
“Hyung… Ansol will be okay, right? She’ll wake up, won’t she?”
“How’s her condition?”
“Her breathing is steady, and her pulse is normal. But sometimes she grimaces, like she’s in pain, and occasionally groans.”
Magic overload. Could Ansol have already manifested her magic? It seemed improbable, yet plausible. I struggled with low magic levels at the start, taking time to harness my abilities after entering the Hall Plains.
But Ansol started with a magic level of 75, so her experience might differ. The subconscious realm is beyond research, so there might be unknown factors at play. One thing was certain: her untrained body likely couldn’t handle 75 points of magic. With some guidance, she should be fine as long as she doesn’t overexert herself.
“I’ll need to check, but it doesn’t seem serious. Don’t worry too much.”
“Then, could you…?”
Ahn Hyun’s urgent plea was interrupted by a gentle grip on my wrist. I turned to see Lee Yoo-jung pouting at me.
“Hey, Ahn Hyun. Is that what you say to someone who just got back? Oppa, aren’t you hungry?”
“Huh? I can wait. Ansol should come first…”
“We’ve all taken turns checking on her. You’re not a doctor, so it can wait. We’ve shared our story, so tell us yours while I whip up a snack. Okay?”
Her unusually proactive demeanor was puzzling, but her concern was appreciated. Ahn Hyun, sensing the lighter mood, gave a sheepish smile and nodded.
“Here, have some water. I saved it from earlier.”
“Oh? Thanks.”
As Kim Han-byeol handed me a bottle, Lee Yoo-jung swiftly knocked it back to him.
“What are you doing?”
“Why give him your leftovers? I’ll get him a fresh one. You drink that.”
“What are you two…?”
Before I could finish, Lee Yoo-jung stood and headed to the kitchen.
The sound of clattering suggested she was preparing something. I turned back to Ahn Hyun and Kim Han-byeol, who wore awkward and cold expressions, respectively. Despite the unexpected turn, I decided to change the subject.
“Did everyone else eat?”
“Yes, hyung. We ate first. We were starving… haha.”
“No worries. It was smart not to wait indefinitely.”
As I responded to Ahn Hyun’s apologetic grin, a new bottle of water appeared before me. Lee Yoo-jung had quickly returned with a plate, which she set down with a flourish. It was a simple dish of crackers topped with canned tuna, but her effort was evident. She opened the water bottle for me, her voice bright and cheerful.
“Tada~! Presenting Lee Yoo-jung’s special crackers!”
“Wow, they look good. Let me try… ouch!”
As Ahn Hyun reached for a cracker, Lee Yoo-jung’s hand shot out to stop him. Rubbing his reddened hand, Ahn Hyun grumbled, but Lee Yoo-jung’s stern gaze silenced him.
“That’s not fair. You’re being stingy with food.”
“I made them for oppa. Why are you trying to eat them? And where did you learn to grab food before others?”
“Fine.”
“Oppa, try it. I promise it’s good.”
“Uh, okay. Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
Watching Ahn Hyun’s grumbling and Lee Yoo-jung’s playful scolding, I couldn’t help but chuckle. I picked up a cracker and took a bite, savoring the simple yet satisfying taste of tuna and biscuit. It wasn’t gourmet, but it was more than enough for now, and I ate it gratefully.
Fortunately, the atmosphere seemed to have relaxed quite a bit compared to the beginning. As I reached for another cracker, the weight of their stares made me feel like I had to say something quickly. Of course, I couldn’t exactly tell them I had taken down more than twenty Deadmen, so I planned to embellish the story a little. After complimenting Yoojung on the delicious food, I launched into the tale of how I had lured them into the forest.
“Hyung, so you almost got bitten back then?”
“I was zigzagging through the trees as fast as I could. I never expected one to jump out right next to me. If my left hand had been just a bit further out, I definitely would’ve been bitten. Just thinking about it still gives me chills.”
“Wow… We almost lost you, didn’t we?”
“Ha! You have no idea. Yoojung was in a frenzy before you got here, hyung. She grabbed a knife and insisted we had to rescue you immediately, saying you might still be waiting for us. She was ready to charge in like a warrior!”
“You’re dead if you keep exaggerating like that! I wasn’t that dramatic.”
“See? You admit it. You did do it, after all.”
“You little…!”
Watching Ahn Hyun and Yoojung bicker and laugh, I felt a sense of relief. Just as I was about to let out a sigh of contentment at the softened mood, my eyes caught Kim Hanbyul’s face, frozen and cold. The way he was staring at us with a different, more frigid expression than before sent an unexpected chill through me.
I thought it was nothing, but something about the way Hanbyul shouted at the end made me feel like I shouldn’t dismiss it lightly. I decided to talk to Ahn Hyun separately once this gathering was over.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=