[Target 'Lee Eun-ho.' Return completed.] [You have obtained an Enrollment Ticket. Please check your Inventory!] Phew. A sigh escaped me, relief flooding through at having made it out safely. Who would’ve thought the swarm of bees would chase me all the way from the cave to the classroom? ‘Is that guy all right?’ He’d have been left behind alone in the pitch darkness. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried…… ‘He’ll be fine, I’m sure.’ Since he’s the one who made the ‘Door,’ he should be able to close it too. …He might have a hard time, though. For now, I decided to look after myself first and spoke up. “Summon.” ▣ ‘Beginner Swordsmanship’ Enrollment Ticket - When activated, a ‘Door’ to the ‘Beginner Swordsmanship’ classroom will appear. Only the ticket holder can use it. - Number of uses: Unlimited A green card the size of my palm landed softly in my open hand. A special ticket that lets me move wherever I want, whenever I want. Even with just a rough guess, it had countless potential uses. ‘What time is it now…….’ I checked the time displayed beneath the translucent system window. PM 08:55. Only a dozen minutes or so had passed since I opened the door and moved to the academy. ‘Hardly any time has passed at all.’ Just as I expected. The clock moved sluggishly, as if time itself had stopped, and I barely felt any hunger, even after so long, making it easy to guess. I didn’t know the exact time ratio, though. ‘Maybe time passes at one minute per hour here.’ I’d stayed for well over ten hours, but in reality, only a dozen minutes had gone by. I’d test the details later, when I had time. For now… — Tak! “Ji-eun!” “!!” Thank goodness. I managed to call out just in time to stop that familiar figure rounding the corner. “Eun-ho!” When I called her name, Ji-eun spun around, her short bob swinging over her shoulders. She’d been biting her lip anxiously, but now her face broke into a bright smile. Even from a distance, her face overflowed with surprise, joy, and relief… “You got back quick, didn’t you?” At my question, Ji-eun beamed and answered, “Yes!” Was she really that happy? For me, maybe, but for Ji-eun, it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes since we’d last met. I’d noticed before—she really does like people. “But Eun-ho… what happened to your appearance?!” “My appearance?” “Yes, you look like you’ve been buried underground for days!” She pointed at my tattered clothes, eyes wide with shock. I laughed awkwardly, wondering how to explain. — Pong! A gift box appeared right before Ji-eun’s eyes. A box wearing a familiar letter envelope on top, like a hat. “Huh!” Ji-eun clamped a hand over her mouth, and with the other, tapped the envelope lightly. She looked as moved as a girl receiving a reply to a fan letter she’d written for years. Then— Srrrk! The envelope slowly unfolded. “You’re alive…” Tears streamed down Ji-eun’s tightly shut eyes. I hesitated, wondering if I should leave her alone, but then she wiped her tears, collected herself, and looked up. “Thanks to you, Eun-ho… I heard the news.” If it was news good enough to make Ji-eun this happy, there was only one possibility. “Your little brother’s safe, huh?” She nodded, eyes shining with gratitude, and took a step closer to me. “He’s in Noryangjin. Seems he’s with some friends.” “That’s such a relief.” “I’m so glad… It’s all thanks to you, Eun-ho.” She looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if I’d saved her brother’s life myself. I shook my head. PM 9:00. At that moment, I happened to glance at the clock—exactly nine o’clock. “There’s really no need to thank me…” [Sync rate has increased slightly.] [Your exclusive ‘Eye’ has been unlocked.] As the announcement echoed in my mind, the space above my head blurred for a moment. Ssssssssst—! The transparent air gathered like droplets. It changed shape, growing larger, smaller, stretching, squaring off, then finally— It formed into a smooth sphere. — Ding! 【New spectators have connected.】 Through the familiar ‘Eye.’ 【‘Bureau Raven’ coughs, insisting they’re absolutely not here out of curiosity.】 【‘Investigation Prince’ crosses his arms, declaring he’ll watch to see how long this arrogant target survives.】 The chat was full of clear annoyance, even at a glance. Maybe they were still mad about the curses I’d shouted at them in a fit of anger. “Eat shit.” Whatever the reason, the biggest problem was… ‘Why did it open now?’ The next mission was still a long way off. Surely not… A chill crept down my spine. [Attention all survivors in the ‘Yongsan-gu’ area. An urgent announcement follows.] An unexpected broadcast echoed out. “What’s this?” “The mission was supposed to start tomorrow morning…!” [The number of survivors in this area has exceeded the limit.] [To ensure smooth mission progress, an emergency personnel reduction will take place.] “Emergency personnel reduction?!” “!!” [Currently, there are 1,070 survivors in ‘Yongsan-gu.’] [The next mission is limited to 500 participants.] “Five hundred out of a thousand?!” Exactly half. That meant one out of every two people would die. I clenched my teeth unconsciously and met Ji-eun’s panicked gaze. [By Administrator authority, the ‘Arena’ will be opened early.] [The ‘Arena’ will remain active in this area until the number of survivors reaches the target.] [If the reduction is not complete before the next mission begins, the excess will be randomly ‘deleted.’] “If it’s the Arena…” “It opened during the Razor Beak mission!” I still remembered the ground slanting and the flames erupting. It felt so real, I almost thought the air around me was already shimmering with heat. [Brace yourselves for impact!] — KUGUGUGUGUGUNG! Sway! A deep vibration rolled up from below, making the ground beneath us heave suddenly. “!!” “It’s an earthquake! Be careful!” The tremor was nothing like any earthquake I’d experienced before. The ground shook violently, not like solid earth, but as if we were riding a wave. Thud! Kugugung! Kwaang—! Crashes echoed from every direction as buildings, utility poles, and structures collapsed… [‘Yongsan-gu’ survivors: 1,033.] [1,019.] [1,007.] …… The number of survivors was plummeting fast. “We have to get out of here!” This was bad. Ji-eun and I were in the middle of downtown, surrounded by tightly packed office buildings. If even one collapsed, it’d turn the place into a living hell. Like dominoes. Of course, nowhere in Seoul was truly safe, but still… “Ji-eun! To the main road, quickly!” Tak-! Deciding that narrow streets were too dangerous, we tried to get out of the alley. “Eun-ho! Ahead!” A four-story shopping building collapsed, right in the road between Ji-eun and me, with nothing in the way but an abandoned car. “Accelerate!” “Caaaaaaaaautiooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn……!” Glass shards froze midair right above my head. ‘Damn. That was close…’ I’d almost turned into a pincushion. Psssssst—! I raised my stone-hardened right arm and carefully brushed the glass away, then crawled out from under the leaning building, tilted like the Tower of Pisa. Tick-! “…Are you okay?!” Just as I tried to wave to Ji-eun to reassure her— — KWAGWAGWAGWAGWANG-! A terrible crash thundered in my ears. “!!” Sway! The ground heaved so violently I could barely keep my balance. “Accelerate!!” A gaping black hole yawned open at my feet… [Recast time in progress. 38 seconds, 37 seconds, 36 seconds……] The ground collapsed beneath me. So perfectly, it felt almost malicious. It swallowed a whole building, a car, and me all at once. “No!!” Ji-eun’s scream faded far above. Up there— *** “Secretary Kim! Coming to the third round, right? I know a good place.” “Huh? Oh, um…” It must have been the first company dinner. First job, first time in society, first office party. Maybe it was because she’d had a few drinks passed her way, but Ji-eun felt uneasy about the thick hand of her team leader on her shoulder as they moved locations. “I’ll buy you expensive drinks. Bet you’ve never had them while in school, right?” Uncomfortable, but hard to refuse. That was when she first met him. Lee Eun-ho from the neighboring team, who she’d only heard about. “Team leader! The director wants you to call a driver. What should I do?” “Hm? There should be a corporate chauffeur.” “He can’t find the number. He’s really drunk…” “Tch, fine, I’ll go.” She’d heard people whispering that he was mean because he was unwell, but… For someone supposedly harsh… “Secretary Kim, right? Hurry and slip out while you can.” “Huh? But the team leader said—” “It’s fine. If he asks later, just say you were so drunk you don’t remember how you got home.” Maybe it started from then. She’d found herself worrying and growing curious about him for no reason. If he seemed to be eating alone, she’d cancel her plans and go sit with him. And once the world changed, she relied on him like a comrade-in-arms she’d fought alongside all her life. So… “Kyaaaaaaaaaa!” When Eun-ho vanished as the ground gave way beneath him— “No!!” Ji-eun’s last thread of reason snapped. And then. [Data collection for skill unlocking is complete.] Please! Anything, just anything…! [Congratulations!] [Through peerless willpower to control what is yours, deep resonance with a cherished person, and lifelong, ingrained empathy, a unique skill has been created!] [Telekinesis (Lv.1) skill unlocked.] “Telekinesis!” The word burst out before it even passed through her mind. Paaat—! All her energy surged to her eyes, mouth, and fingertips. It felt like every drop of blood in her body rushed to her extremities. And as she focused so hard her face turned bright red— Pssssssssssst! First, small fragments. Then, pieces of the shattered road began to float up. “Please!” And a moment later— “H-huh?!” A familiar face floated up from the empty space below. Eun-ho, rising against gravity. “Ji-eun! Did you… by any chance…?!” He seemed to be saying something, but she didn’t have the presence of mind to listen. Every last ounce of her energy was focused on supporting Eun-ho. “…! …Above you!” ‘I have to focus…!’ Ji-eun’s eyes and ears were closed. Her eyes were open, but all she could see was Eun-ho, struggling in the center of the pit. Her ears were open, but no sound came through. And so— ‘Just a little more…!’ She didn’t notice. Just as she finally lifted Eun-ho to safety and was about to relax— “Ji-eun!! Get out of the way!!” Floating in midair, Eun-ho shouted desperately. “Please…!” She didn’t realize the building that should have been standing firm was crashing down right above her. “E-Eun-ho…?” Thud-! At that moment, her connection with Eun-ho snapped. She fell, hit the ground, rolled, and crawled. Eun-ho was running toward her. “Accelerate! Accelerate! Accelerate!!” A mad dash for survival. But— “Shit!!” “Cursing doesn’t really suit y—…” — KWAANG! The race was lost before it even started. [‘Yongsan-gu’ survivors: 1,000.] — KUGUGUGUGUGUNG! A massive concrete wall collapsed onto Ji-eun. [999.]
Chapter 26: The Face Behind the Mask
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