- Book 3, Chapter 454. Earth. Return (2) Taesan looked at Jung-geun’s face. A good-natured face.
Utterly ordinary.
A face you would forget five seconds after passing on the street. But his pleasant smile somehow made him likable. At Taesan staring intently at him, Jung-geun scratched his head with a bewildered look.
“Uh… erm.”
Jung-geun was flustered. It was the first time he had seen the man before him. Yet, the man was staring at him intently, as if looking at a familiar face he hadn't seen in a long time.
Jung-geun cleared his throat with a cough. He composed himself and remembered why he was here.
“The City Hall Quest. You received it, right?”
Taesan nodded his head.
“Would you like to come with me? It’ll be quite difficult to get to the City Hall on your own.”
Taesan nodded his head once more.
Jung-geun grinned.
“Good. Then follow me. Ah, is there no one else with you?”
The Ghost was still beside Taesan. But Jung-geun showed no sign of noticing. Taesan answered briefly.
“No.” “Alright. Stick close to me.”
Jung-geun lowered his stance and spread his hands.
[Geum Jung-geun has activated Presence Diminution. The presence of Geum Jung-geun and Kang Taesan has been diminished.]
Presence Diminution.
It was a Skill that literally reduced one's presence. A Skill that could be obtained by hiding from an enemy's sight for an hour, it was passably useful. The presence of Taesan and Jung-geun momentarily diminished.
Jung-geun frowned for a moment.
“Taesan? ...Nah. No way.”
Having come to his own conclusion, he spoke in a low voice.
“Follow me slowly. And be as quiet as possible.”
Taesan gave a small nod. He watched Jung-geun's back intently as he carefully surveyed their surroundings and moved forward. The Ghost opened its mouth.
[Seems no one can see me but you. An Adventurer should at least be able to perceive me. Why is that?]
The Ghost, touching its face as if intrigued, spoke.
[Did you come to see that guy?]
Taesan nodded silently. He did not form deep bonds with others. It was partly because his personality found relationships bothersome, but also because they were meaningless.
Someone he knew today would be dead and gone tomorrow. It was an incredibly common occurrence. Moreover, he was an Easy Mode Player.
A human from the easiest difficulty. Everyone he grew attached to or formed a decent relationship with had died. From a certain point on, he never gave his heart to anyone unless they were someone who would survive until the very end.
One of them was Jung-geun. A human with whom he had shared a conversation in the final moments. A human who never lost his sense of humor, even in the depths of despair.
The Ghost muttered in a quizzical tone.
[Hmm. I doubt you'd meet him just to say hello. Looks like you have something planned for that kid.]
Taesan did not answer. The Ghost talked to itself.
[Well, he's passable, I suppose. If he's extremely lucky, he might even make it to the Depths.]
It was a tone of reluctant acknowledgment. After following Jung-geun for about thirty minutes, a buzzing sound could be heard. The presence of many people could be felt inside a small building.
“Everyone. Are you alright?”
“Ah.”
“Jung-geun!”
Many people came running with pleased faces. A crowd of about a hundred people. Among them, not a single face was familiar.
“This person here is Kang Taesan, whom I’ve just rescued. I believe he’s from Normal Mode, so please get along well with each other.”
“Huh, I don't think I've seen him before…” a man who appeared to be from Normal Mode muttered.
Someone nearby chided him for his words.
“How many people are in Normal Mode? How could you possibly know them all?”
“Ah, that’s true.”
The man who had been called out scratched his head with an awkward look.
“Nice to meet you. Let’s get along.”
Taesan nodded silently.
“Now, let's get moving.”
Jung-geun clapped his hands to lift the mood.
“I think we've gathered everyone nearby. Let's head to the City Hall now.”
The people’s expressions stiffened. Anxiety crept onto their faces.
“It’s alright, everyone.”
Jung-geun reassured them with a confident smile.
“I will protect you all.”
They began to shuffle toward the City Hall. About a hundred people moved slowly. They advanced through the back alleys as much as possible to avoid monsters.
[What is this.]
The Ghost spat out in a bitter tone.
[Why is there nothing but weaklings? Are these really guys who entered the Labyrinth?]
Everyone except for Jung-geun was pathetically weak. At a glance, some of them had not even surpassed the limits of a human and were no different from ordinary people.
[I get the gist. That guy named Jung-geun is leading them to their destination. And you've become one of them.]
“Something like that.”
Taesan replied softly. F-class Monsters are weak. But they possess the strength to easily rip an ordinary human to shreds.
The current Easy or Normal Mode Players cannot stand against them. At this point in time, only Hard Players or higher could overcome them. And even among them, only the top-ranking Players.
Jung-geun was heading to the City Hall, leading such weak individuals.
‘Just as I heard.’
In the previous world, Jung-geun had also led these people to the City Hall. Taesan clearly remembered what the result of that was. As they moved on in silence, a girl who had been shooting him curious glances from a while ago approached.
“You said you came from Normal Mode, right?”
A girl with striking freckles and brown hair. She gave the impression of having just become an adult. She chattered away beside Taesan.
“I'm Ahn Jung-hee. What about you, oppa?”
Oppa.
Feeling a sense of amusement at the address he hadn't heard in decades, he answered.
“Kang Taesan.”
Ahn Jung-hee tilted her head.
“I was pretty well-informed myself, but I’ve never heard the name Taesan before…”
“How many people are in Normal Mode? How could you know them all?”
In Korea alone, there were nearly ten million people in Normal Mode. On top of that, to prevent overcrowding, the space was divided into so-called Dimensions, much like game servers, making it impossible to know everyone. If the Dimensions hadn't been separated, it would have been impossible for Easy Mode to even enter the Labyrinth.
“Still, I know all the people who are said to be strong. For example, that person over there.”
At the tip of her finger was a muscular, tattooed man.
“He’s a high-ranking member of the Athena Guild, quite strong. He has a nasty personality, but he's being quiet, probably because Jung-geun-oppa is here.”
Guilds formed by Players. They existed in Easy, Normal, and Hard Modes. The Athena Guild wasn't the only one.
Wherever people gathered, a society would form, and so groups were often created. Sometimes they were expressed under the name of a guild, and other times they emerged as revolutionary groups. Of course, Taesan didn't belong to any of them.
Understanding the Labyrinth was more important than engaging in such trivial games. The girl, perhaps needing someone to talk to, continued to speak. Eventually, the conversation turned to how Jung-geun had come to lead them.
“We were watching a performance.”
A small amateur concert. It was a rather popular band, so a lot of people had gathered. Naturally, a considerable number of people appeared at the time of the Return.
“When everyone was panicking and didn’t know what to do, Jung-geun-oppa stepped up.”
He calmed the confused people and suggested they go to the City Hall together. Some people protested, asking who he was to give orders, but when he said he was a Hard Mode Player and demonstrated a grip strong enough to bend steel with his bare hands, they shut their mouths. That was how this group was formed.
It wasn't much different from the story Taesan had heard from Jung-geun in the past. Jung-geun, who was leading the way, raised his hand. Ahn Jung-hee fell silent.
[Monster No. 56994258 has appeared.]
Gurgle.
A black monster with massive limbs appears. The people's faces fill with terror. Jung-geun grips his sword, his face grim.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Jung-geun slowly advances toward the monster. The monster, not yet having noticed his presence, shambles about. Jung-geun stabbed it in the back.
[6 Damage dealt to Monster No. 56994258.]
Gurgle!
The monster twists its body. It moves its massive arms and attacks Jung-geun.
Kagak!
“Kuk!”
Overpowered, Jung-geun grits his teeth. The future him was a Player who could win even against A-class monsters, but now was still a period of adaptation. He had to fight quite a difficult battle even against a single low-class monster.
He dodges the fiercely moving arms and stabs. After a brutal battle, Jung-geun was victorious. He caught his breath and spoke to the people.
“I got it. Come this way.”
“Ooh…”
“Jung-geun!”
People cried out in voices filled with emotion. They ran to Jung-geun and praised his strength. Jung-geun forced a smile and waved his hand.
“For now, let’s keep moving.”
The people were as careful as possible. They held their breath and lowered their postures. But with over a hundred people on the move, it was inevitable that they would be spotted by a monster.
As Jung-geun was fighting one such low-class monster that appeared, another monster showed up.
Gurgle.
“Hiiiik!”
“J-Jung-geun!”
Jung-geun didn't have the leeway to answer. When it became clear he couldn't help them, the hundred or so people screamed and started running away. The low-class monsters were not that strong.
If they all worked together to fight, they could win without a problem, yet they were busy scrambling to escape.
[…….]
The Ghost watches with a look of extreme displeasure. Taesan picks up a stone lying on the ground.
“Hiiiik!”
Ahn Jung-hee screams and runs away. It was the moment the monster was about to strike her head.
Kwajik.
The monster, struck in the head by a small stone, is sent flying far away. It tumbles on the ground and disappears with a loud noise. The people who had been running around in a panic stared with wide eyes at the monster that had suddenly vanished.
“Huh? Wha-?”
“What was that?”
The people stuttered. Jung-geun, having barely defeated the F-class Monster, came running, out of breath.
“Where did the other monster go?”
“We don’t know either. It just suddenly disappeared.”
“What?”
Bewilderment spread across Jung-geun's face. He looked around, but the monster was truly nowhere to be seen.
“Did someone defeat it?”
“There was no Damage Window. And there's no one here who could have defeated it…”
Even for Jung-geun from Hard Mode, monsters were difficult to take down. The only people here were weak, even for Easy or Normal Mode. Jung-geun glanced at Taesan.
Taesan stood there expressionlessly. As if the current chaos and fear were nothing to him, he even looked bored.
‘Could it be?’
Wondering, he shook his head. Taesan had said he'd encountered a monster, but Jung-geun thought he had avoided it by hiding. Only someone at the top ranks of Hard Mode could guarantee a 1-on-1 victory.
And Jung-geun would surely know of such individuals.
“Hmm… Let’s keep moving for now.”
In the end, unable to solve the mystery, Jung-geun heads for the City Hall. The journey was a repetition. When a monster appeared, Jung-geun would face it.
The rest would just watch from a distance. The few times things got dangerous, Taesan would throw a stone to drive it away. After this repeated several times, the Ghost finally couldn't take it anymore.
[You vermin!]
A roar spread out. The voice thundered, but the only one who could hear it was Taesan.
Only him.
[How can such useless scum exist! They don't even have the will to do anything themselves, let alone risk their lives to fight! They're just vermin who leave everything to others!]
A voice filled with rage. It was a torrent of emotion that even Taesan had never heard before. If the people could hear the Ghost's voice, they would have frozen stiff.
[These kinds of guys entered the Labyrinth? Don't make me laugh.]
A beast-like voice roared.
[This is an insult to us. I cannot tolerate that scum like this would dare challenge the Labyrinth.]
To the Ghost, who had broken through by risking its life, those who had given up on fighting itself must have seemed utterly disgusting. Taesan waited quietly for the Ghost to calm down.
[...I can't understand.]
The Ghost, calmer than before, muttered in an irritated tone.
[Strength isn't the issue. No one is strong from the start. Everyone gets stronger by fighting with their lives on the line.]
The Ghost was right. Taesan hadn't been strong from the beginning either. He had risked his life against the Big Rat and challenged Hage-Ha, which led him to where he was now.
[But these guys have no will. They don't try to do anything for themselves, nor do they try to gain information and knowledge. They're just busy running away. How have such pathetic weaklings survived until now?]
“Don’t be so harsh. When you think about it, I’m the strange one.”
They were people from an ordinary world. Life-or-death battles were stories from fiction. Those who could quickly grasp the situation and move forward were exceedingly rare.
Moreover, with the existence of Jung-geun protecting them, it was natural for them to focus their efforts on fleeing rather than fighting.
‘Though this world isn't merciful enough to let such people live.’
Taesan looked at Jung-geun. He was comforting the struggling people.
“Yes, yes. It's okay. Just a little more effort.”
Geum Jung-geun.
One of the few Players Taesan was acquainted with. He was comforting the people. In the previous world, Jung-geun had also led about a hundred people to the City Hall during the First Return.
And the only one who arrived was Jung-geun. Leveling up through battle