novelCompetition Chapter (1)
| ← Ch.294 | Ch.296 → |
"I can't get in touch with Seok-Hyeon, " Hochi said.
"What?" I questioned.
"I said I can't get in touch with Seok-Hyeon."
"Who's that?"
It was a name I had never heard of before. Hochi frowned and said to me, "You know, my friend Seok-Hyeon. We became close in the community."
Ah. So Hochi was talking about the kid whom he got close to in the community. He couldn't reach him?
"He could be dead, " I commented. Hochi angrily glared at me.
It was surprising to see him express his anger so openly because usually, even if he was upset, he would reply sarcastically.
"How could you say such a thing?"
Then what was I supposed to say? If you messaged someone in the Tutorial and they didn't reply, there was a high probability of them being dead. Eight out of ten people were considered dead in such cases.
The mortality rate in the Tutorial had been steadily decreasing for several years, but it hadn't reduced to zero. It went from the probability of getting into a car accident while driving a cheap motorcycle to one while driving a luxury car. In terms of death, it could be said that accidents occurred frequently.
"Hey, I can't help it. No matter how low your difficulty level is in the Tutorial, if you get distracted, you're just courting death. Especially on solo stages where you can't get help from others. Low difficulty levels could be more dangerous on the party stage. There have been countless reports of party members killing each other or dying in an accident."
Park Jung-ah and the Order of Vigilance tried to stop many from dying, but they could not entirely put a halt to murders or other crimes. Even the Order of Vigilance couldn't impose strict rules and regulations.
"You..."
Oh no. I glanced at Hochi's face, and it looked like he was about to explode. I soothed him before he started to sulk again or throw a tantrum.
"Go tell Park Jung-ah. The Order of Vigilance will find him on their own. If there was a wrongful accident, they'll catch the assailants and lock them up." I assured him that it'd be fine and that they could find him.
Park Jung-ah seemed to have gotten a little gentler, but she was still a tad too serious when it came to dealing with such things. I thought that if I felt this way even when I was not involved in the Order of Vigilance affairs at all, then the others would still be afraid of Park Jung-ah.
"If someone is stuck somewhere on a stage, it's fine to send his information to the Order of Vigilance. It'd be better than us getting our heads wrapped up among ourselves."
Hochi looked a little relieved at my words. He seemed to be very close to that friend of his called Seok-Cheon or something. I had assumed he was just a pen pal. Now, I'd have to find out what kind of friend he was.
I sent a message to Park Jung-ah, and we talked about the entry time and the unit we'd meet at.
"Is Yong-Yong still picking clothes? Let's get him. We have to leave soon."
We headed to Yong-yong's room. My son had a somewhat feminine hobby. He would make his own clothes and spend time trying them on. He would also indulge in making small accessories and decorating his room.
This was different from what I had taught him, and he had probably inherited the trait from the dragon. Recently, I began to wonder if Hochi influenced Yong-Yong's behaviour. After all, Hochi took care of Yong-Yong more than I did. And although Hochi wasn't particularly feminine, he was more so in many ways compared to me. When I told Hochi this, he burst into laughter.
"You think you're so different. You were the guy who got trapped on the sixth floor and knitted a scarf. You even gave it a name. What was it again? Hororong, if I remember right."
Oh, I did. I had never woven mufflers before, but I found knitting very meditative, and at that time, I had seen some threads in the store, so it had been convenient.
Suddenly I thought of Hororong, and remembering its last appearance made me feel guilty. Hochi laughed and teased me when he saw me like that. Either way, I quietly paid a silent tribute for Hororong.
After chatting, we soon arrived in front of Yong-Yong's room. For convenience, it was called a "room, " but in fact, it shouldn't be called one.
I thought it would be too much to call an entire tower, Yong-Yong's room. The top wasn't even visible when I raised my head. Nevertheless, as the owner of this tower, Yong-Yong declared it as his room, so I had no choice but to follow his decision. From Yong-Yong's point of view, my house was the entire 60th-floor residential area, and this colossal tower was his personal space.
I knocked on the door of the tower, and soon the door burst open. A cutely dressed Yong-Yong came to sight, giving a warm feeling.
He donned a fur hat, a colorful muffler wrapped around his neck, a thick jumper clinging to his body, and an almost bursting bag hanging to his side filled with god knows what. I was sure it was a bag with a built-in dimensional space, but even then, it was filled to the brim. Someone might've thought we were moving.
The warm clothes were a wise choice. It was said that the tournament location was quite cold, so it was right to wear warm clothes.
Of course, Yong-Yong wouldn't feel cold there, but he did dress up in order to match the dress code. Now, Yong-Yong was a bit taller than my waist, but he still looked small and young to me, perhaps because of his thick overcoat and a big bag.
With a bright smile, I hugged Yong-Yong, who rushed at me and said, "Now, let's go to the square. The portal has shown up."
I was unsettled by the fact that Hochi and Yong Yong would be sent out, even if it was just for a short period. Hochi, who had been anxious, calmed down, and it felt strange to be the only worried one.
"Should I come too?" I murmured, thinking about it.
Yong-Yong, who heard me, said yes because he didn't mind it, and Hochi asked if that would be fine. But it was already decided that I couldn't go. There was a clear reason for me to stay, and it wasn't something that I could change because of my mood. I was both sad and distressed, but it was time for Yong-Yong and Hochi to leave.
* * * * * *
[Hochi]
Look at that restless piece of shit!
Ho-Jae, who had teased me before like a child, was visibly stressed when Yong-Yong and I went up to the portal. I bit back a smile at that sight. He was a respectable man but strange, so if you laughed recklessly, you might end up laughing for a very long time.
"Yong-Yong, say bye to your dad."
At my words, Yong-Yong, who had been standing next to me and holding my hand tightly, bid farewell Ho-Jae.
"I'll return soon, Dad. I'll be sure to have a good time by myself." I had to hold back my laughter once again at Yong-yong's words.
Yong-yong's farewell was no different than what Ho-Jae used to say to Yong-Yong, who kept clinging to him whenever he went to the 61st floor. He was having fun. Did Yong-Yong think that's what one had to say whenever someone was leaving? It seemed necessary to correct this thought at another time.
We ran to the portal, ignoring Ho-Jae's face, which had a concerned expression.
As our bodies floated, I could feel Yong-Yong and I get moved somewhere.
It was quite different from when we moved from the 60th floor to the 61st floor. Ho-Jae explained the difference between the two portals in theory, but I couldn't understand what he meant. I knew quite a bit about magic, but not as much as Ho-Jae or Yong-Yong. At the very least, I knew this portal was unlike other ones.
We were not teleported to any crowded areas, and I thought that it was an excellent choice, since it prevented congestion. Anyone would have been embarrassed if they had suddenly fallen into a crowded square after entering the portal.
The place where Yong-Yong and I moved to was a quiet mountain road. The sign ahead showed which way to go. I tried to go the other way, but a transparent wall blocked the path. Having no other option, I followed the sign as indicated.
An excited Yong-Yong tried to break the transparent wall and go through it, saying that he wanted to chase a flying butterfly. Luckily, I somehow managed to stop him.
* * * * * *
"Hello. My name is Baek Sung-Woong."
"Oh, hello."
We were able to reach a gathering of people after walking for a while. There were several mountain cabinets, and people were entering and leaving frequently. Some people continued to walk alone, but most had flocked into a group. From what I could make out, they were all members of the Order of Vigilance.
Just as Yong-Yong and I were wondering if we should join them, a tall, scary-looking man approached and greeted us. The sunlight reflected on his bald head.
"This way."
The bald guy guided us as if it were natural. I assumed he was the guide in charge of us. He had said nothing but greetings, so I couldn't confirm whether I thought it was right. He was quite blunt.
"It's a human!"
Yong-Yong wasn't scared of the bald man, so he approached him and pointed at him. I hurriedly hugged Yong-Yong in surprise, to hold him back.
"I'm sorry!" I apologised to the bald man.
"No, it's fine. By the way, you haven't changed at all."
"What?"
Did Ho-Jae know this bald guy? As far as I knew, I hadn't ever heard of this guy.
"I've seen you on TV before. It's an honor to be able to guide you."
"Ah, yes." I felt like I missed the time to say no to him being our guide.
"Cute!" Yong-Yong, who was in my arms, looked at the bald man and exclaimed.
"No. Don't say anything, Yong-Yong. Excuse us." I directed the last sentence at the bald head.
He wasn't cute. Not at all.
"Cute, cute."
Yong-Yong wasn't listening to me. Usually, he was very obedient, but when he got hooked on something, he wouldn't stop being stubborn, even if he was in a good mood. Yong-Yong stretched out his hands towards the bald man, attempting to touch his bald head.
"I'm so sorry. It's his first time seeing someone like you, " I apologised.
"Is this the hatchling?"
"Yes, yes. I'm so sorry. He's usually not this disobedient."
"Oh, that's all right. Children are like that. I used to have a kid this big on Earth. I don't know how much he has grown now since it's been two years."
The bald man's initially serene face turned sad. Wistfulness and sorrow were apparent as he thought about his own child. Even though he looked like a no-nonsense kind of man, he seemed to be softer than I thought. Seeing Yong-Yong seemed to ease his anxiety little by little. I thought we could get along easily over time.
"Ahaha. Cute." Yong-Yong, who was seated on the bald head's back, smacked his head.
Oh no, that little punk. He didn't realize how dangerous it was to do that to a bald person.
The bald head seemed a little embarrassed and upset, and I didn't know what to do. Come to think of it, it was my first time meeting people and holding a conversation with a bald guy.
"I'm terribly sorry, bald head." Ah no, his name wasn't bald head. His name was Baek Sung-Woong.
Perhaps I had been around Ho-Jae for too long, so I just blurted out whatever I had thought like he usually did.
The bald man raised his hand and said, "It's fine."
It was such a kind and gentle gesture that I couldn't help but feel sheepish. I had missed the best time to correct my words.
~Competition Chapter (1)~ End
| ← Ch. 294 | Ch. 296 → |