Chapter 22: Design

"I'm not sure if that Hyung-ssi, Kim Hyunsung, is safe."

"He'll be fine."

Once we had broken through the encirclement, Park Deokgu bluntly spat out his worries.

He gave off a keen feeling of apprehension.

Ever since he had been told directly that Park Hyaeyoung hadn't made it back, he seemed a bit restless.

He looked worried about Kim Hyunsung, who had drawn all of those other monsters away on his own. Perhaps he thought Kim Hyunsung would meet the same fate as Park Hyaeyoung and wouldn't survive.

However, it was hard to imagine Kim Hyunsung being cornered by monsters, no matter how outnumbered he was.

When he was in action, it was hard enough just to follow him with your eyes, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to evade a bunch of monsters.

There was a high probability that by now, he had escaped from that area and was worrying about the same things I was.

One person ended up dead from a hunt which he had taken great pains to propose.

Perhaps it would provide a convenient excuse for those in the shelter to curl up and hide a little bit longer.

This expedition was one which should have been carried out without a hitch.

Of course, Kim Hyunsung didn't know that Park Hyaeyoung was dead yet, but I thought that just the incident alone would be enough to cause a headache.

"It's unfortunate. I wasn't close to Park Hyaeyoung, but I think she was trying to do her best."

"She almost got us killed, so if the worst that happens is her death, it can still be considered a success"

"T-that's true, but."

"You should be grateful for the fact that we've come out of this alive. It couldn't be helped. She was at fault for pulling aggro from you while she ran wild without listening to us, and it was her who screamed and brought every monster within earshot running. To put it bluntly, if you or Hayanie had died instead of her, I wouldn't have forgiven her."

That wouldn't have been something that I could stop at calling 'Unforgivable.'

I might have ended up wanting to kill her myself.

Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were a priceless pair.

When I looked over, it wasn't only Jung Hayan, but also Park Deokgu, who was looking at me with a strange expression.

Jung Hayan seemed moved, while Park Deokgu looked to be embarrassed.

"Ah…"

"Well, t-the same would be true for me."

It was Jung Hayan who had killed Park Hyaeyoung, but I didn't want to think about such things at the moment.

With the exception of Kim Hyunsung, these were currently the two people I could rely on the most.

Park Deokgu, a meat shield with high endurance and stamina, and Jung Hayan who had immeasurable potential.

There was the downside that they were both too dependent on me, but in a way, that could also be said to be an advantage.

The problem was that one of them was a ticking bomb that I couldn't control, but at the same time it was highly likely that her disposition would make her a powerhouse on my side.

"By the way, how will you explain this to the people in the shelter?"

"Don't explain, and sleep. There was a mistake and one person died. That's all. If they're scared due to this…"

"If they're scared?"

"However much we might want to help, people will still die in the end. You have to remember that the fact is, right now, we're in the middle of the tutorial. We have to assume that the main game is several times more dangerous than anything we're going through now."

Sometimes, I forgot that what we were facing right now was a tutorial.

Because of the tension that if something went wrong, we'd croak.

We had only just begun.

One way or another, if Kim Hyunsung entered the main game, it might be teeming with weaklings, or there might be a lot of bastards who couldn't even be placed on the same level as the monsters we'd been facing.

'We can't become complacent.'

If we became complacent like the people in the shelter, we would die.

With the exception of Lee Jihye, who seemed to understand this fact, most of them were idiots.

It was unsettling that not a single one of them could be useful.

I couldn't understand why Kim Hyunsung was obsessed with those guys.

I had thoughts that it might be related to his past life, but I couldn't afford to dig into his past now.

"We'll sleep here tonight."

"We're not returning to the shelter?"

"It's too far."

"I thought we were almost there… Hng. I don't know how Hyung-nim can memorise the way so well."

"This is pretty normal. I left a mark for us to spot when we started out."

"You even left a mark?"

'This son of a bitch…'

I hadn't expected Park Deokgu to use his brains to begin with, but at this rate, I was sure he was just a muscle head.

I was so dumbfounded that it might have leaked into my expression, as Park Deokgu flinched and Jung Hayan hurriedly began to speak.

"He-here."

There was a scratch which looked to have been made by a spear.

A very small cut on the wall was clearly visible.

"Noonim knew too."

"You need to pay better attention to your surroundings. What are you going to do if there's a situation where you and I are separated like earlier?"

"Hem. I don't think that's going to happen…"

It was a bit disconcerting to see him always trailing off at the end of his sentences.

I wasn't sure if it was because he was flustered, but his eyes kept darting around to avoid mine. It was quite a spectacle to behold.

It wasn't my intention to nag him there and then, so I followed suit and slumped to the ground, feeling drained.

Jung Hayan clung to me like a cicada glued to an old tree.

Park Deokgu's expression looked somewhat wicked.

"Ahem… Then, I'll look around for a moment, Hyung-nim."

"Is that necessary?"

If possible, I hoped that Park Deokgu wouldn't leave his spot.

"Who knows if there are any of those monster bastards around here looking for us."

He wasn't wrong.

"Well, Hyung-nim has used a lot of mana… Noonim, I think it might be better for you to take care of him a little…"

"Ah! L-leave it to me, Deokgu-ssi."

"Don't get lost."

"I'll just be taking a look around."

I nodded brusquely.

Seeing him leave our current position quietly, I was mindful of the fact that I would be left alone with Jung Hayan.

I knew she wasn't crazy enough to sling magic at me, but the scene I'd witnessed earlier kept coming to mind.

Jung Hayan's hysterical grin as Park Hyaeyoung writhed on the ground with her limbs cut off.

There was no way I wouldn't feel scared.

"Status window."

Without thinking too much, I summoned the status window, and naturally saw my information.

[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Lee Kiyoung.]

[Name: Lee Kiyoung]

[Title: None. You should try a little harder.]

[Age: 25]

[Disposition: Careful Strategist]

[Class: Wizard]

[Class effect: Basic Magical Knowledge]

[Stats]

[Strength: 10/Growth potential: common or lower]

[Agility: 11/Growth potential: common or lower]

[Vitality: 14/Growth potential: common or lower]

[Intelligence: 25/Growth potential: heroic or higher]

[Endurance: 12/Growth potential: common or lower]

[Luck: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]

[Mana: 05/Growth potential: common or lower]

[Equipment: None]

[Attributes: Mind's Eye]

[Overview: Your puny rate of growth is so miniscule it can now be compared to that of an ant's. Growth centred around vitality, mana, and intelligence can be seen. Did you work your brains a lot? In particular, I can see your intelligence grew particularly high. Don't get too conceited. Player Lee Kiyoung's abilities are still inferior to even the secretions discharged by monsters.

I didn't know who the hell's opinion this overview was based on, but I didn't like them.

Without this ability, I wouldn't have been able to get this far, but this overview was enough to make me want to do something about it.

Nevertheless, the improvements in my abilities were bound to make me feel a little bit better.

Meanwhile, the two-point increase of my mana stood out to me.

Clearly, my intelligence was overwhelmingly high compared to the other stats.

I didn't know what had improved exactly, as I still wasn't sure of the exact nature behind stat growth, but perhaps my basic critical thinking skills were a little better than before.

'Luck.'

The value of this unknown luck stat had also risen by two points.

I was glad to find that Jung Hayan's state wouldn't negatively impact my growth.

'It's not bad.'

It was pretty good growth for a scumbag at the bottom of the talent pool.

At this rate, it would be hard to say I was that far behind the average person.

"Stats… Yours must have increased?"

"Yeah. Has anything changed for you, Hayanie?

"N-no. Not much… But my mana level went up a little. The same for vitality, and strength."

"That's a relief."

[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Jung Hayan.]

[Name: Jung Hayan]

[Title: None. You should try a little harder.]

[Age: 21]

[Disposition: Pure Advocate]

[Class: Wizard - Common Grade]

[Stats]

[Endurance: 11/Growth potential: rare or lower]

[Agility: 11/Growth potential: rare or lower]

[Vitality: 15/Growth potential: heroic or lower]

[Intelligence: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]

[Endurance: 14/Growth potential: rare or lower]

[Luck: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]

[Mana: 18/Growth potential: legendary or higher]

[Equipment: None]

[Attribute: Wizard in training - Rating: Heroic]

[Overview: Be careful. Nice boat [1].]

I had opened Jung Hayan's status window, just in case, but I couldn't find anything vastly different from before.

What caught my attention was that her mana level had risen by three. Her disposition as a Pure Advocate remained. If it said she was pure, then she was pure. I didn't have any complaints about that, but it would be nice if she could make it a bit more apparent.

'What the hell is this overview?'

For some reason, the words rang ominously in my ears.

"I-it's all thanks to O-o-oppa."

"No. I didn't actually help you that much."

I hadn't contributed much to her ability growth.

When I laughed quietly, Jung Hayan also began to smile brightly.

Her smile was a bit scary-looking, but I couldn't make that obvious.

When I patted her head, she bowed her head slightly. Park Hyaeyoung's torn off limbs and her appearance as she smiled like a crazy bitch was no longer present.

Once again, I couldn't help but notice that she liked me.

At the moment, Jung Hayan was the person who concerned me the most.

Because I needed to find a way to control this uncontrollable bomb.

'There are two options.'

Option one: Push her away very slowly.

I didn't mean it in the sense of pushing her out of my reach.

Rather, I would push for us to have an Oppa-and-Dongsaeng relationship, rather than one of lovers.

This would reduce the intensity of affection to one between siblings instead of between men and women.

It wouldn't magically get rid of her jealousy.

In fact, it was the safest and most reasonable path.

Option two: Quickly drag her to me.

The second option was based on the affection between men and women.

Not only believing, trusting, and following me, but further developing a relationship where she would unconditionally accept anything I said.

It was a boatload of sh*t but it didn't seem impossible considering Jung Hayan's present state.

Actually, what I had in mind was the first option.

I knew it wouldn't be easy, but there was still room for improvement in our relationship.

As I stroked her head again, she gripped my hand on her head.

Honestly, I was a bit taken aback.

"Hum… Hum…"

Park Deokgu, who had gone out on patrol, had returned.

"Oh, what a nice atmosphere."

"Eh? Sorry? Ah… No. It's not that…"

Jung Hayan was a bit too flustered.

Park Deokgu spoke to Jung Hayan with the same shrewd smile as before.

"I thought I asked you to take care of Hyung-nim, but Noonim is a little sly, isn't she?"

"I-it's not like that."

Park Deokgu snickered and smiled excessively while Jung Hayan rose from her seat and crept over to the corner.

Seeing her appearance, Park Deokgu smiled widely and didn't hesitate to flop down right next to me.

"Oh, did I come back too early?"

"What are you talking about."

"Well, aren't things going well with Noonim?"

I had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

Rather, come to think of it, he was 23 years old. Jung Hayan was 21 years old.

I couldn't understand why he would call Jung Hayan 'Noonim'.

Anyone could see that Jung Hayan looked younger than Park Deokgu.

"You know that Jung Hayan is younger than you, right?"

"Of course. Even so, what kind of Dongsaeng would treat his Hyung's woman disrespectfully?"

"What…"

The word 'bullsh*t' almost popped out of my mouth.

Now that I thought about it, something was weird.

What I wanted from Jung Hayan, in the first place, was a bond, not a love affair.

It may be true that her environment had led her in a strange direction, but nevertheless, there was still a missing piece to the puzzle.

I felt like the last piece had slotted into place.

It was this.

'Sh*t…'

A cupid.

"Don't forget me if it goes well later. Actually, I didn't tell you, but since Hyung-nim asked me to take good care of Noonim, I've been pushing her little by little."

"What… How can you…"

"Hem hem… You look good together and it looks like she likes Hyung-nim. You used to sneak peeks at Noonim. I've seen something like this happen so many times, I can't remember…Fufu… So you don't have to be too thankful…"

"..."

Only

"I thought your taste was a bit unusual, but… Hem! If Hyung-nim says so, then it's only right for me, the dongsaeng to help! In my opinion, I think the goal is in sight. Actually, even though I look like this, everyone knows Park Deokgu, the love doctor in Gangwon-do."

Ignorant of my feelings, the corners of Park Deokgu's mouth raised as he poured out his pride.

I couldn't even speak because I was so flustered.

I had no choice but to realise that it was meaningless to distinguish between the first and second option.

'Park Deokgu you pig bastard...'

An almost flawless checkmate.

I couldn't think of anything to stop the designs of a pig, whose brain was full of nothing but muscles.