Chapter 47 : Chapter 47
Chapter 47
No Tae-jin could hardly concentrate on his surrounding situation because of his own heartbeat.
He could not hear any sound other than the thumping, as if someone had hammered a heart into both of his ears.
Paradoxically, it was his opponent, Kim Ju-han, who awakened his spirit that was about to fade.
“Bodhisattva? Can you hear me?”
The moment the enemy's voice reached his ears, he snapped to his senses.
Ten meters ahead, the short-statured Kim Ju-han was looking at him with a gentle smile.
Since he had been in a daze, he would have been in big trouble if the opponent had attacked.
On the other hand, many thoughts crossed his mind regarding the fact that Kim Ju-han did not attack him while he was defenseless.
‘What is he thinking? He could have attacked as much as he wanted. Is he bluffing, saying he can suppress someone like me anytime? Or maybe he really doesn't want to see blood.’
To say he waited with good intentions, the fight between Lee Ju-seong and the follower just now kept bothering his eyes.
The follower who died by Lee Ju-seong's single blow had tried to kill Lee Ju-seong under the pretext of ‘salvation’.
He had translated that into action without a single hesitation, as if he were performing justice.
The one who taught the followers the distorted form of salvation was Kim Ju-han, right before his eyes.
No Tae-jin gripped his spirit firmly and heightened his concentration.
“Excuse me, but could you tell me what you just said once more?”
Unlike No Tae-jin, whose concentration was sharpened, Kim Ju-han was overflowing with leisure like a floating cloud.
“Hohoho, you must have a lot on your mind because of the battle earlier. I said I wanted to let you know it is a misunderstanding first, but you did not hear it because you were nervous.”
“The young man from earlier clearly attempted an act of attack under the excuse of salvation. If it were not for Mr. Ju-seong, he would have died long ago. Exactly where is the part that can be called a misunderstanding?”
Kim Ju-han put his hands behind his back and began to walk slowly along the edge of the Yut space.
Extremely comfortably, as if walking in his own front yard.
He could clearly see that the man felt no sense of crisis in this situation at all.
Thanks to that, No Tae-jin could be certain.
That this man Kim Ju-han was not even treating him as an opponent.
“Bodhisattva, I believe there is no act greater than opening up about one's troubles in understanding each other. By what circumstances did you come to this place?”
Despite it being a cliché question, bad memories flashed through his mind like a film.
Thinking about it now, he had fallen into debt through very foolish circumstances.
He was just lonely.
Having moved to Seoul at twenty and lived alone until he was over thirty, he wanted to meet anyone to alleviate his loneliness.
At first, joining one social club was all.
But once he got used to it, a new empty space immediately appeared in his heart.
To fill the empty space, he joined another club, and repeating this process, before he knew it, he had joined over ten clubs.
Among them, he served as the president of as many as three clubs.
Only then did he realize that running a club costs a massive amount of maintenance.
Membership fees, separate gatherings among close members, purchasing equipment and supplies needed for activities, etc…….
In particular, the deposit for the club hideout and installments for motorcycles and cars were burdensome enough to eat away at his life.
Nevertheless, convincing himself it was the cost of offsetting loneliness, he did not hesitate to waste money through credit cards, mobile phone pre-payments, or borrowing money privately.
By the time he came to his senses, a significant amount of debt had piled up.
The only consolation was that he recognized the problem: he liked people far too much.
He judged that there was no need to completely overhaul his innate personality.
So, while leaving his innate personality as it was, he decided to live in a more constructive way.
This time, when he returned to society, he planned to leave only relationships he could maintain steadily.
No Tae-jin judged there was no need to reveal everything about himself, so he briefly mentioned the circumstances of how he fell into debt.
“Waste was the cause. Though I do not know what will change by telling the reason I fell into debt.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Yes, I regret it. That is why I am trying to change. Since you do not know me, it might be hard to understand, but I want to become a new person while affirming who I am.”
“Hohoho, you only need to say as much as you can. Because what you told me is enough to fully understand what kind of person you are, Bodhisattva. To put it simply, you want to end this game peacefully without killing anyone.”
For a moment, he felt as if he were exposed to a mind-reading ability.
Since he did not want to die, he would fight when he had to, but fundamentally, No Tae-jin's true heart was to escape this situation without fighting.
No Tae-jin did not deny it.
“How great would that be if I could. But there is no way, is there.”
“If you look at the rules in a two-dimensional way, they are full of things you cannot see. But if you look at them three-dimensionally, many things become visible.”
“Is there a way for both sides to survive without taking a loss?”
Kim Ju-han brought both hands together into a triangle and offered a prayer.
“Everything is visible to my eyes. May I tell you my opinion?”
“I will at least listen first.”
“The winning side gets 100 million won in prize money, the surrendering side pays a 100 million won fine. In the end, it is plus-minus zero. If the side that receives the 100 million yields the prize money to the side that surrendered, neither side takes a loss and can pass this moment.”
In the outfield, the followers marveled as if they had encountered incredible information.
However, the impression No Tae-jin received was the opposite.
Is it an idea worth making such a fuss over?
It was a method anyone could think of.
Especially for No Tae-jin, for whom finding a way for everyone to survive was the default every time he faced a game, he had noticed it a long time ago.
However, because it was a method not easy to realize realistically, he just had not bothered to mention it.
“The proposal you mentioned is also a method I thought of. But who will surrender? It is a method where the side that surrenders bears 100 percent of the burden.”
“Well, naturally, you should surrender, Bodhisattva Tae-jin.”
He wanted to do it if he could.
But what if he were to pay the 100 million won fine and Kim Ju-han did not give him the money?
Then it would be truly troublesome.
His current possession amount was 150 million won.
Since the debt to be repaid was 75 million won, if the fee is taken out from his possession, exactly the amount to repay the debt remains.
‘If I lose 100 million at this time, 50 million will remain in my hand. Taking even the fee into calculation, I absolutely cannot repay the debt. I would have to go through one or two more games to secure the money to pay back the debt.’
This bloody game. One or two more times.
Just imagining it, he instinctively shuddered.
No Tae-jin took a deep breath and pulled a pure white scarf out of his pocket.
“If it is the other way around, I will accept. Because I am the one who wishes for everyone's survival more than anyone else in this game. I promise I will definitely wire you the prize money.”
For a player to take out an object that does not fit the situation was the same as gripping a weapon.
It was only natural for someone accustomed to battles between players to start by being on guard.
Kim Ju-han took a folding paper fan out of his pants pocket.
“It breaks my heart that you will not accept me even though I gave you an opportunity. I thought you would be a good comrade to get through this game with, Bodhisattva.”
“I am sorry, but I plan to return to society once this Round 4 is over. For that reason as well, I absolutely cannot pay the fine.”
“Wishing for everyone's survival more than anyone. I suppose you misspoke about being more bellicose than anyone.”
“Wishing for everyone's survival and protecting oneself are separate issues. Don't treat a person like a pushover recklessly.”
Wishing for everyone's survival and acting like a pushover are not synonyms.
Yet somehow, there were some idiots who treated one as a pushover.
Because he had seen it until he was sick of it in this game, he did not even have the motivation to explain.
In any case, the negotiation had broken down.
Now there were no other options besides battle.
No Tae-jin spread the scarf wide and activated his ability.
Ability to turn a piece of cloth into a shield.
No Tae-jin's ability was that he could turn any thin cloth into a metal shield.
The scarf he possessed was a large scarf 120cm wide and long, a so-called giant size.
The scarf began to harden from the edges on all sides, and soon a square metal shield was completed.
‘Anyway, my ability is intuitive and ordinary. Since I do not know what the opponent's ability is, I have no choice but to run at the shortest distance and settle the match.’
He advanced while protecting his face, upper body, and part of his lower body with the shield in front.
“Uooooo!”
The fact that he was clumsy at battle was given away by his awkward battle cry, but he did not care and charged honestly.
It was also because he could charge confidently thanks to the rule that he could win without killing.
All he had to do was push him out of the Yut space.
The opponent was at most a small-statured old man.
He was confident in overwhelming him with physical strength.
Against the charging No Tae-jin, Kim Ju-han spread the paper fan wide and fanned the wind hard toward No Tae-jin.
The moment the wind from the fan fluttered, a sharp frictional sound arose on the front of No Tae-jin's shield.
Clang! Claaaang! Clang!
It felt as if sharp blades were pounding the shield.
It was not just a feeling.
In fact, as if invisible blades had touched it, split marks appeared here and there on the shield like a box cut by a knife.
Through the series of phenomena, he could guess Kim Ju-han's ability.
‘It is clearly the ability to turn the wind from a fan into wind blades. Can he emit at least three or four shots with one swing? I have to settle this before it is pierced.’
The Yut space was narrow, and the fact that there was no proper space to evade worked as an advantage for No Tae-jin.
Kim Ju-han swung the fan as if reciprocating left and right.
Whoosh! Whooooosh!
A sound of tearing air occurred as the wind turned into wind blades.
It was an eerie sound that made one shudder just listening to it, as if a butcher's slicer had been turned on.
Wind blades hit the shield repeatedly.
Clang! Clang! Claaaang!
Though sharp, it was not heavy.
It is light.
It is light, I say.
Kim Ju-han and the followers only spoke about saving until they were sick of it, but they had not put a single thing into actual action.
In contrast, what about Lee Ju-seong.
He had willingly stepped forward to lead by example and share the money first.
Despite being cursed out so much before the start of Round 3 and being excluded due to prejudice, he had confidently translated his thoughts into action.
He could find himself feeling at peace upon encountering his words and deeds.
‘That is salvation. Yes, that kind of thing is salvation.’
I am sick of fakes now.
Fake loneliness, fake connections, fake comfort.
They can all go to the dogs.
Mr. Kim Ju-han, you are the same.
There is no fake like you.
I will win against you and truly be reborn this time!
“Uoooooo!”
When he exhaled a fierce battle cry as if embodying a blazing will.
Before long, No Tae-jin had arrived right before Kim Ju-han.
Victory if he pushed him away like this.
It was the moment he tried to push Kim Ju-han away by extending the scratch-covered shield forward.
Suddenly, his body would not move.
As if invisible chains were winding around his entire body.
“W…… why…….”
Kim Ju-han arbitrarily made a diagnosis of No Tae-jin's condition like an authoritative doctor.
“The shield endured, but the body could not. Those who face me often experience this.”
He packaged the sudden inability to move as an accumulation of damage.
Then he swung the fan without a hint of hesitation.
There was no way the extremely tattered shield could withstand a blow at close range.
The shield was torn to shreds, and wind blades surged through the collapsed space.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Incised wounds of varying depths opened on his arms, thighs, sides, shoulders, and so on, while his body bounced around left and right.
He was pushed back with movements like a promotional balloon doll in front of a store.
As not even the stamina to maintain the ability remained, the shield soon disappeared.
When he realized he had fallen with his back touching the floor.
Kim Ju-han's shadow was cast over his body stretched out in an X shape.
A gentle smile was formed on Kim Ju-han's shaded face.
It was an unpleasant gentleness.
“Now, it is time for salvation. I will purify your contaminated spirit cleanly.”
***
At the same time, I was silently watching the battle between No Tae-jin and Kim Ju-han from afar.
I felt a sense of incongruity at the part where No Tae-jin just stopped his movement at the last moment.
Among all the actions that took place inside the Yut space, there was no action that could have influenced stopping No Tae-jin's charge.
But what if it were the opposite case?
I shifted my gaze outside the Yut space.
Staying in the place my gaze reached were the followers, acting proud as if it were a natural result.
Spark!
The moment one possibility flashed through my mind like lightning, the corners of my mouth curled up on their own.
“Look at these punks?”
I could say for certain that they must have committed a foul in the outfield.
I am looking forward to seeing if they will use the same trick on me.
Use it as much as you want.
Instead, you had better be prepared before you use it.
Because I am not soft like No Tae-jin.