WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
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◈ The World Is Not a Game ◈
Chapter 9
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Hyeokjin inwardly smacked his lips as Chuck answered, his eyes crinkling in a gentle smile.
They had been entering S-rank dungeons together for the past two and a half years, but Hyeokjin still felt uncomfortable around him.
How could he put it? Perhaps the two of them were simply incompatible by nature.
He was clearly a good person, yet something about him felt unsettling. The instincts that had saved Hyeokjin dozens of times during his life as a Closer kept sending the same warning.
‘This man is dangerous. Stay away.’
‘...No, it’s more than danger.’
If he had merely felt dangerous, Hyeokjin wouldn’t have felt such a strong aversion to him. Keeping some distance and staying alert would have been enough.
But this man’s words... were impossible to refuse.
After hearing his opinion, at some point the thought ‘I have to obey’ would begin to dominate Hyeokjin’s mind.
An unsettling man who inspired both a sense of danger and a compulsion to obey. That was how Hyeokjin felt about Chuck.
But that wasn’t something he could say to his face.
“No. I was just surprised to see you here when you must be so busy.”
“Busy? No, I have plenty of free time. We’re on leave for the time being.”
Chuck took a sip of coffee as though it were nothing. At his answer, the corners of Hyeokjin’s mouth rose slightly.
There was a pointed reminder hidden in the words “on leave.”
Hearing that, Hyeokjin thought he understood why Chuck had come all this way.
The breathing apparatus covering the entire lower half of Hyeokjin’s face hid most of the smile. But Chuck noticed the faint curve around his eyes, realized he was smiling, and gave a small chuckle.
“Judging by that smile, you’ve already worked out what I’m going to say.”
“Are you here to stop me from entering dungeons?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Chuck gave a brief answer and took another sip of coffee. Hyeokjin scratched his head.
Three days ago, the Closer Association had issued a recommendation to rest until the final expedition, in case any health problems developed. Hyeokjin had ignored it and continued entering dungeons, so apparently the Association had sent Chuck.
After answering, Chuck quietly drank his instant coffee for a while. Then he set the empty cup on the table and gave Hyeokjin a serious look.
“When I told the Association I was coming to congratulate you, they asked me to talk you out of it. And after hearing their reasons, I agree with them. Our lives aren’t ours alone, Hyeokjin. Humanity’s fate rests on us. Closing dungeons? Of course that’s a good thing. But what if something unexpected happens inside one and you get hurt? What if, by some chance, you can’t return to the real world?”
“That won’t happen. I’ve entered dungeons almost every day for the past fifteen years. And while I’m not a true S-rank Closer, my abilities far exceed those of the average A-rank Closer. An A-minus dungeon is just practice for me. Practice to keep my combat instincts sharp.”
“Yes, we’ve spent over two years working together in S-rank dungeons. I know your abilities very well. But no matter how familiar you are with them, you never know what might happen in a dungeon. You remember how Burwell died, don’t you? That was already seven years ago.”
At Chuck’s question, Hyeokjin froze, unable to answer for a moment...
Then, finally, he sighed and nodded. Of course he remembered.
The news of his death had been a major event.
Burwell Vessey.
A British S-rank Closer nicknamed the “Walking Power Plant.”
He had died while taking part in an A-rank dungeon raid.
Closers were always at risk of death. Even so, the idea of an S-rank Closer dying in an A-rank dungeon had been unthinkable, and the whole world had been shocked.
The teammates who returned from the dungeon revealed the cause of Burwell’s death: his daughter, who had only recently become a Closer.
She had joined the raid to gain experience, but she had overestimated her abilities, rushed ahead, and put herself in danger. Burwell had pushed himself too far trying to save her and died.
Once the truth came out, countless people condemned his daughter. Tormented by the guilt of having caused her father’s death, she took her own life a few days later.
Hyeokjin had entered dungeons with Burwell several times and had attended both his funeral and his daughter’s.
As Hyeokjin sighed, unable to respond, Chuck spoke again in a gentle voice.
“I think highly of your dedication and sense of duty. But closing dungeons isn’t what we need to be doing right now. We need to get enough rest to enter the expedition six months from now in the best possible condition. For now, put that burden down for a while.”
“...All right. I’ll try.”
Hyeokjin had just given that reluctant answer to the gently smiling Chuck when a powerful wave of warp energy surged through the quarters. At the same time, billowing black mist began pouring from the entrance.
The only way to describe it was that it had suddenly appeared. Hyeokjin and Chuck naturally turned toward the disturbance, and the black mist soon gathered into a strangely shaped arched doorway.
“Wow, private Closer quarters. This takes me back.”
A quiet murmur of admiration came from the misty doorway. Then someone strolled out.
A beautiful woman with short black hair, dressed in something resembling a Halloween witch costume. It was the “Black Witch,” Nikki Malkova, the other guest who had come to see Hyeokjin with Chuck.
She casually waved one hand to dismiss the misty doorway, then looked down at Hyeokjin on the sofa and grinned.
“Hey, Vanilla. You still live in a place like this? You must be making pretty good money.”
“Well, it’s only my quarters on paper. I don’t stay here.”
“Really? Where do you usually stay, then?”
“If I had to name a place, the maintenance room. After leaving a dungeon, I rest while my prosthetic body gets serviced there, then go back into a dungeon.”
Hyeokjin answered as though it were nothing. Nikki let out a hearty chuckle, walked over, and dropped onto the sofa beside him.
“Ha ha, you’ve got a pretty good sense of humor, Vanilla. I’m seeing a whole new side of you.”
“It’s true.”
“Oh, come on. How can anyone live like that? If what you’re saying is true, you just get serviced and jump straight back into a dungeon.”
“I used to think that too. But at some point, it became manageable. And fifteen years passed like that.”
“...Hey, stop joking. Now I’m starting to wonder whether you’re serious.”
“Why would I lie to you?”
At Hyeokjin’s question, Nikki leaned forward and brought her face right up close.
She stared at Hyeokjin from inches away for a moment...
Then her smile faded, and she spoke with a slight frown.
“You’re serious? Really?”
“This makes the third time I’ve said it. Try believing people when they tell you something.”
“Holy shit...”
Only then did Nikki realize Hyeokjin was telling the truth. She clicked her tongue in disbelief, pulled back, and shook her head.
“I can’t believe it. In some ways, you really are superhuman. I couldn’t do that. How do you live with all that stress? If that were my life, I’d rather quit everything and do whatever I felt like.”
“Even so, you must never become a Renegade, no matter what happens. A Closer’s power must be used solely for humanity.”
“Ha, be reasonable, old man. Why the hell would I become a Renegade? Once this expedition is over, I can spend the rest of my life being treated like a hero who saved humanity!”
Chuck had turned stern at Nikki’s words, and she answered him with a faintly mocking tone.
Her reply seemed to offend Chuck as well. His face stiffened as he looked at her, and Nikki refused to back down, frowning straight back at him.
The two sat across the table, locked in a staring contest.
Caught in the middle of that quietly hostile atmosphere, Hyeokjin shrank back, unable to say anything...
Before long, Nikki sighed, looked away from Chuck, and shook her head.
“Honestly, a staring contest... What am I doing? I’m not a little kid. Fine, I lose, old man. So how about we stop this pointless staring contest and make peace? Though, honestly, you were the one who got all serious and started picking a fight.”
“Hmm? When did we fight? Our eyes simply met for a moment.”
“Yes, yes. Our eyes just met for a moment. Because we all get along sooo well. Hey, Vanilla! Anyway, I’m thirsty after taking care of that favor you asked for. Make me a coffee too. Make it really cold!”
“Sure. I’ll make it nice and cold.”
Hyeokjin brightened at Nikki’s slightly irritable demand, got up, and headed for the sink.
The growing hostility between the two had put Hyeokjin in an awkward position, but Nikki’s surrender had eased the tension considerably.
If the price was having her take a little irritation out on Hyeokjin, that was more than welcome.
After quickly making some instant coffee, Hyeokjin held the cup and summoned a little of the “black chill” he had used when tearing off his younger sister’s face.
With precise control of its output, Hyeokjin turned the coffee into a slush in an instant. He set the cup in front of Nikki, cold mist drifting from it, and spoke.
“By the way, why did you come here?”
“...Hey, so Chuck’s welcome, but I’m not? That hurts, you know.”
“I was just curious. I already heard why the old gentleman came.”
Hyeokjin shook his head and sat back down. Nikki picked up the chilled coffee slush and shrugged lightly.
“Well, I’m sort of an extra. I was relaxing at home when that gentleman called. He said he needed to see you urgently and asked if I could help. I didn’t have anything else to do, and I thought I’d come congratulate you on your promotion too. Oh, right. This is your promotion present.”
As if she had suddenly remembered, Nikki casually snapped the fingers of her free hand.
Just as when she had appeared in the quarters, black mist began gathering above the table. It formed a small doorway, and items soon tumbled out onto the table.
One was an old-fashioned wooden box bearing a silver deer logo. The rest were all books.
Their plastic wrapping had all been removed, but they were so pristine that they must have been unwrapped only recently. Wondering what sort of books they were, Hyeokjin checked the covers...
Hyeokjin quietly frowned, while Nikki watched with a sly grin.
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