Free Web NovelIt was still closer to a guess than a certainty.
I flicked my eyes over his Status Window.
Name: Ahn Jinha
Age: 28
Rank: F
Title: —
Main Skills: Clairvoyance (F), Arcane Schematic (F)
Growth Limit: E
From the Status Window alone, he did look like someone optimized for tinkering with machines.
Ahn Jinha glanced around nervously, then lowered his voice.
“Why did you pull it out?”
“What a stupid question.”
“...How did you know it was there?”
He was clearly a coward, but he was doing his best to answer each question properly. Pathetic.
I looked at him askance and let a smile tug at one corner of my mouth.
“Where’s the guy you brought yesterday?”
“...We’re keeping him. He wasn’t in great shape to ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) begin with. Didn’t you just dump him?”
“If I dumped him, why would I bother coming all the way here?”
Of course, I had dumped him.
Ahn Jinha rolled his eyes like he couldn’t find a retort, a faint furrow pinching his brow.
“...And how did you get here, exactly?”
“I’ve got a good sense.”
“Tracking skill?”
“Yeah. Something like that.”
I figured he’d jump to that. I looked at Ahn Jinha and hesitated for a beat.
'Should I try to reel him in now?'
From how he kept chattering, he had some mix of anxiety and curiosity. Better to hook him before the others showed up.
“Let me check on the guy you brought.”
“He’s fine.”
That was rich.
I lowered my head to meet his eyes and snorted. freewebnøvel.com
“How would I know that? Even for a simple merchandise deal, you inspect with your own eyes. Why should I believe your mouth when you say ‘safe,’ ‘fine’?”
“We’re not... making a deal, are we? You came here, so you look like you want to join.”
“I came to complain. Why you took him. And even if I did come to join, do you... have the authority to decide?”
The last question was genuine curiosity. The instant he heard it, Ahn Jinha went pale.
'So he gets treated like crap here.'
If they were ranking among F-ranks, it’d come down to brute force, and from the looks of him, he’d get wrecked the moment it got physical.
Still, he handled the machines. They could at least bump his standing a little. Guys like this are the ones who go mad and stab you in the back later.
'Or maybe they’re keeping him down on purpose so his head doesn’t get too big?'
Well, distributing power isn’t always the right answer.
Ahn Jinha stiffened his neck and jerked his chin toward one tent.
“He’s in there.”
“Mm, right. Knocked him out?”
“...No?”
“Then tied him up?”
“......”
Nice of them to do what I’d wanted to do anyway.
I walked straight toward the tent he indicated.
I’d expected a basic camping tent; it was closer to a small field hut. Inside were three things made up like cots, plus a few poorly organized storage bins.
Ryu Taejun lay on the outermost cot, bound fast head to toe.
“Thorough tying job.”
I offered the simple assessment, and the trailing Ahn Jinha gave a muddled answer.
“The guy with a binding skill... isn’t very good at it.”
“You used a skill to bind him?”
“...He wasn’t good enough, so we used an item.”
“Uh-huh.”
Now that I looked, where had they even gotten all this? Even with a Space-Saving Box, bringing in this much kit should have been tough.
“Where’d you get all this?”
“It was already here. Food and stuff—someone else brings that from time to time.”
“Who?”
“Gi Cheongmin.”
“Ah...”
Gi Cheongmin. The only Status Window yesterday that showed an E.
'So he played at being the boss—maybe he’s the real leader.'
They’d been mentioning “Cheongmin said this, Cheongmin said that” earlier, too. After dropping the name, Ahn Jinha watched my face and asked, tentative,
“So if I say it... do you know?”
“I figured there was a leader. That’s what you meant, right?”
“...Yeah.”
I tapped Ryu Taejun’s arm. He watched me with cold sweat pouring down his face.
'Would’ve been better if you’d stayed unconscious.'
His pupils were slightly dilated. I squeezed his arm once—shut it—then let go. He gave a tiny nod only I could see.
I turned my head back and faced Ahn Jinha, who was staring at me with a worried expression.
“So, Gi Cheongmin? He’s the leader and the rest are all the same? Why stick together?”
“Because it’s easier together.”
“For what. Monsters?”
“......”
So he didn’t want to spill to someone he’d just met?
I flicked my eyes at Do Yehyun to step back a few paces, then grabbed Ahn Jinha by the collar and hauled him up.
“Ghk—what are you—!”
“You looked like you were watching the guys outside, so I came in here on purpose. The least you can do is cough up the info.”
“Let go, and—on purpose—”
“Of course on purpose. I don’t have time. I’m not rotting in this maze like you.”
What a ridiculous thing to have to say out loud. It almost made me laugh.
I was genuinely curious, though. Why stay here so long? And with people you don’t even get along with.
“Every man for himself, right? Sell me the info and stick with me.”
“......”
“Hmm, need a carrot? Right. Your tech’s decent. If we get lucky and get out, I’ll slide you into a good guild. Or is religion an issue? You’re Cheonmyeonggyo, right?”
“......”
“Drop the cult. Convert. Go to a temple one week and a church the next. Collect a few more religions and you’ll never be bored.”
His eyes widened, and I added with a derisive little smile,
“For the record, I’m not one of your cultists.” fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
He strained hard enough to tear my hand off his collar that his fingers went red. It was getting a bit pitiful, so I flung him onto the next cot.
I waited a moment while he coughed, then grabbed his collar again and dragged him close.
“Urgh!”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
He flopped back on the cot, dazed, and got hauled up again just as fast—pathetic.
“L-let go, and we can talk—”
“I didn’t even choke you this time. What’s there to ‘talk about’ only after I let go?”
“I—I’m... frail.”
“I can tell. You look awful. Your body looks like trash too. Ah, is that why you bought into Cheonmyeonggyo?”
“......”
If it wasn’t just his rank but also his bad health, that I could understand a little. The former is garden-variety trash; the latter at least looks desperate.
“P-please... let me go.”
Only then did I loosen my grip. He crumpled like paper, caught his breath, and looked up at me.
I dragged a nearby chair over and sat, meeting his eyes.
“......”
He kept acting like he was gauging me, then turned his head to cough again before slowly meeting my gaze once more. A bit off rhythm, but acceptable.
Hmm. He screamed small fry from a mile off. Maybe I pushed a bit too hard?
“Done coughing?”
“......”
To be fair, there was no value in pushing him harder. I just needed information.
I slowly let a smile pull at my lips.
“Alright, let’s talk. I don’t care about your backstory, how long you’ve been here, or what your goal is.”
“...Then?”
“What I care about most is whether we can get out of here.”
“......”
“Can we?”
He nodded. Good—so there was a route out.
“Then what’s the method? Do you know it?”
“...I haven’t gone myself—only in theory.”
“Why? Don’t want to escape?”
“...Not yet.”
What kind of bullshit was that.
I frowned and tilted my head.
“Explain.”
“...Everyone came here to raise their rank. Because there’s a god here.”
“A god?”
“Yeah.”
Oh... now that sounded like real bullshit. I huffed a laugh and gestured for him to continue. He swallowed and went on, slowly.
“This is... basic. There’s a ‘god’ here.”
“You’re saying the god Cheonmyeonggyo believes in is here?”
“...You really aren’t Cheonmyeonggyo. That’s basic doctrine...”
“Just explain.”
I cut off the useless preface and pressed him. He finally got to the point.
“Cheonmyeonggyo worships a god called ‘Heaven.’ The one who caused all this upheaval and the god who will destroy the world—we call them Heaven. Lord Haedo spreads that god’s words to people like us.”
“Right. I know that much.”
“...But we don’t think Heaven is the only god. There could be other gods who triggered all this. More precisely—beings beyond ability... think Transcenders. I consider Lord Haedo a Transcender, too.”
“So you’re saying there’s a Transcender here who raises ranks?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded.
No hesitation in his tone—didn’t sound made up on the spot. He honestly believed it.
“Evidence?”
At my skeptical question, he blinked and answered like it was obvious.
“Because I... met them.”
“......”
And what the hell was that supposed to mean.
I squinted, and Ahn Jinha grabbed my arm in a panic.
“I-it’s true... The maze’s purpose is exactly that. You meet the god and raise your rank. If you pay a small price, you can raise it every time you encounter them. That’s why everyone’s staying.”
“What’s the small price?”
Curiosity kicked in; I asked. He watched my face like he was checking my mood, then answered carefully,
“That... depends on what your greatest desire is.”
