“Stop crying, you pig,” I said.

“W-Who’s crying?” Park Deok-Gu responded.

The dagger might have stabbed me because he spaced out, but the outcome wasn’t that bad. Of course, I couldn’t deny the fact that I almost died this time. The more I thought about it, the more absurd I found the situation because I almost died in the most pathetic way possible.

Based on my script, Park Deok-Gu was supposed to block Kim Jae-Jun before his attack reached me and before Jung Ha-Yan screamed, she had to put her mana into the healing ring.

I got to the point where I lost so much blood that I was close to fainting, so I would consider myself lucky this time.

It was the moment when I realized that even the smallest element could ruin my calculations. I also realized that I shouldn’t gamble carelessly.

‘Although gambling is necessary when needed…’

I realized that I needed to prepare more thoroughly before gambling.

It was unfortunate, but there was nothing I could do and I even started panicking at the climax of the unexpected event just now. Of course, I expected the naive Park Deok-Gu and the fainthearted Jung Ha-Yan to react in that way.

Still, I probably should be thankful that the situation ended the way it did.

We were still in a tutorial and if I were to compare it to a game, we were still beginners.

I was sure that Jung Ha-Yan and Park Deok-Gu’s issues would be resolved with time.

“Hyung-nim, I…”

“I think it would be best if we hold onto Yoo Seok-Woo,” I suggested.

“Ugh…is that okay?” Park Deok-Gu asked.

I nodded lightly.

The rare-ranked Magic Shield Ring was protecting me and after inspecting the monsters with Mind’s Eye, I determined that they didn’t have the ability to break through this magic shield.

I suddenly became thankful for Kim Hyun-Sung because the effect of the item he gave us was better than I thought.

‘Magic Shield.’

“Gyaaaaaah!”

I saw the monsters slamming themselves against the semi-transparent shield, but I wasn’t scared of them. I started reciting a spell and building my mana.

“Lord, I, wish, my voice, answer, power, to burn enemies…”

“...”

“Fireball.”

I started feeling kind of dizzy. I had enough mana to cast a spell, so it was probably because of the blood that I lost. Even though the wound had healed by now, it still felt like the damage was still there.

When I cast the spell, a large fire ball appeared in front of me, so after dismantling the shield, I extended my hand out and the fire ball created a loud noise as the monsters were caught up in the explosion.

Boom!

It was a direct hit, but Park Deok-Gu shielded me in case they were still alive. I was certain that they had been annihilated though.

“Whew…”

“I-Is your body okay?” he asked worriedly.

“I told you that I’m fine,” I answered.

I felt a bit dizzy, but it wasn’t a problem. I actually felt really refreshed because I managed to stay alive, and the situation was turning out beautifully.

Kim Hyun-Sung was going to kill Jung Jin-Ho while Kim Jae-Jun would have a great time with Jung Ha-Yan. The problem was what we were going to do with Yoo Seok-Woo because I hadn't thought about it at all. However, we had to subdue him for now.

I guess Park Deok-Gu wasn’t stupid because he started to tie Yoo Seok-Woo up. He was using a flimsy leather rope, but it was better than nothing. No, with Yoo Seok-Woo’s strength stats, he wouldn’t be able to break the leather rope on his own.

“Let go! Let go of me right now!” Yoo Seok-Woo shouted.

It must have taken him a while to realize the situation because it was only now that he started resisting, but nothing happened. He was struggling while lying on the ground and Park Deok-Gu continuously suppressed him with his strength.

“You bastard!”

“Lee Ki-Young, you rat! Let go of me right now!” he yelled again.

“Dumbass,” I commented.

“Both hyung-nims will come back for me. After they take care of that jerk Kim Hyun-Sung, they’ll come here immediately and stab your necks with a knife. You guys will definitely beg for your lives…”

Yoo Seok-Woo blabbered on and on, but I found his rant so absurd that I didn’t know what to say. His imaginary world was deeper than I imagined.

“Haha.”

“You’re laughing? You think this is funny? You think you’ll be able to keep laughing like that? Lee Ki-Young! And the pig that’s next to you…I can’t forgive that bitch Jung Ha-Yan either. Never. I’m going to make her regret not choosing me. Every day…everyday…” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“Lee…”

“I can’t hear you,” I said.

Of course, I was going to display my most malicious face. When I slowly placed my hand on his ear, I pulled my face close to his and after displaying a smile, I saw him angrily foaming at the mouth.

“Lee…Lee-Lee Ki-Young, you piece of shit!”

Seeing him so agitated like this was always fun to watch.

“You must be really confident,” I said.

“What…”

“It’s obvious that the hyung-nims that you love had abandoned you and ran away on their own,” I said.

“What?” Yoo Seok-Woo asked.

“Jung Jin-Ho didn’t tell you? That he canceled the plan when Lee Ki-Chul died…no, I guess he would have suggested that it would be better to watch the situation a bit more,” I replied.

“What?”

He looked surprised. The microexpression and the body language he was displaying seemed to be asking me how I knew about their plan.

This situation was what I was really looking forward to.

If not for my Mind Eye’s and Kim Hyun-Sung’s reaction, then we wouldn’t have found out about this plan of theirs.

I would have thought nothing but. ‘We’re working with a slightly suspicious group.’

I didn’t care whether I was right or wrong, but after seeing his expression, I think I pretty much guessed it right, but it didn’t matter anymore. It was obvious, but there was no need for us to tell him about our party’s situation.

“Wh…what are you talking about?” Yoo Seok-Woo asked.

“Dumbass,” I said.

I couldn’t stop laughing because this was too fun. It was like these idiots were moving the chess pieces for us. It was a relief that the person that Jung Jin-Ho thought was an insurance was a dumbass like him.

“What is it that I’m saying…” I said.

“What are you talking about…” he asked.

There wasn’t a need to explain it to him so instead, I displayed a bright smile. Even an idiot would know what my smile meant.

I saw Yoo Seok-Woo staring at me absent-mindedly, so it was possible that the previous happenings were flashing before him.

How our party first offered to capture the dungeon…the magic that was used when we blocked the first monster wave and Lee Ki-Chul’s death, which was a bit surprising. He may be in the process of realizing the fact that me provoking him was a part of the act that was thoroughly planned out.

The idiot was probably taking a guess as to why I was touching Jung Ha-Yan so openly and there wasn’t a reason for me not to have fun with Jung Ha-Yan while belittling him.

All of this was nothing more than a trap to lure him in and he probably couldn’t believe the fact that he fell for it. It was true that humans weren’t skilled at controlling their own emotions, but he was worse than humans in this category.

Park Deok-Gu was looking at me with a surprised look, but I didn’t bother adding more to my explanation because the idiot started flopping around like a madman.

“Lee…Lee Ki-Young, you piece of shit! You’re a piece of shit!” Yoo Seok-Woo yeled.

It was amusing how he was waiting for his hyung-nims to come back. Jung Jin-Ho recruited Yoo Seok-Woo because he believed that they lacked strength. Then, they came to the dungeon with us in order to create a variable.

In conclusion, the idiot couldn’t overcome his anger and created a problem for them. It was obvious if you thought about it objectively. By now, Yoo Seok-Woo must have also realized that he made a critical mistake.

“Lee…Lee!”

“Thanks, Seok-Woo. I have a lot to thank you for,” I said.

When I sneered, I saw him charging towards me without understanding the current situation. He didn’t look scary since his hands and feet were tied, but I couldn't help but frown at the hideous sight.

“I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you!” he yelled.

“I can say the same thing,” I told him.

Because the decision to let him live or die lay in my hands.

“What?” Yoo Seok-Woo asked.

“I’m not a nice person. Of course, I feel uneasy about killing someone, but…after falling into a place like this, I think it’s something that I need to experience at least once. Right, experience,” I explained.

“That’s…”

“I’m the type that likes to make other people do it, but…I can’t keep letting others do the work for me forever and when it comes to sin, it’s better to share it with others,” I said.

“You…you…you’re crazy…” he said.

“You’re crazy too. If the situation got any worse, I would’ve been the one lying here. It also could’ve been Ha-Yan or Deok-Gu.”

I raised the spear that was in my hand.

“Hyung…hyung-nim!” Deok-Gu called out.

Both Park Deok-Gu and I had never killed anyone, so he sounded a bit bewildered. He didn’t seem like he was going to stop me, but it felt like he was asking whether I was really going to do it. If he dissuaded me, I would stop here because in the end, killing someone wasn’t an easy task.

It was obvious, but my hand that was holding the spear was shaking because I was afraid of killing someone. I already made up my mind and despite that, I still found it difficult to go through with it.

I was different from Jung Ha-Yan, whose personality was kind of twisted, and Kim Hyun-Sung, who definitely had killed a lot of people.

I was an ordinary person and a petty bourgeois, so I didn’t want to do this.

However…

‘A choice.’

If this was something I had to experience anyway, I thought experiencing it here was the most reasonable choice.

“S-Spare me,” Yoo Seok-Woo begged.

“Sorry,” I said.

I put my strength into my spear.

“If you don’t want to see it, close your eyes, Deok Gu,” I told him.

I didn’t bother to look at his expression. I assumed that his eyes were already closed.

“S-Spare me!”

It only took a moment for the spear to pierce through Yoo Seok-Woo’s neck as the sound of flesh being penetrated, reverberated. The feedback felt unpleasant.

“Cough…cough…”

I saw him struggling while holding onto the spear. I wanted to turn my head, but I knew that I shouldn’t deny the fact that I was the one that pulled the trigger, and it was my bullet that I shot.

My arms and legs kept shaking. It wasn’t my first time seeing someone die, but this was my first time killing someone with my own hands.

‘Consider this similar to the Park Hye-Young incident.’

It was correct to say that I killed them, no, I really did kill them. When recalling the woman that I saw for the first time back at the starting point, it was also possible that I was the cause of her death because I ignored her cry for help.

There was no need for me to be flustered by it now, so all I had to do was calmly accept the situation. I had to tell myself that I had no choice and it was necessary to do what I did.

It wasn’t easy watching someone quietly dying, but…

“Lord…”

“Cough…spa…re…”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

Yoo Seok-Woo’s face was filled with pain. He continued groaning and the way he kept spitting out blood wasn’t a pleasant sight to see. As time passed, his face gradually relaxed as his consciousness thinned out.

“Sa…ve…mo…m…”

In the end, he looked at me and as he became quiet, the room became quiet at the same time.

“If I can do it…you can do it even better,” I told Park Deok-Gu.

I told him the same thing when he and I hunted our first monster.

Unlike the first time, I didn’t hear his answer. Instead, I heard a slightly odd voice. I guess this was a part of his interpersonal skills because he was trying to change the subject.

“Hyung-nim…”

“...”

“Are you a Christian?” he asked.

It was a ridiculous question that didn’t go well with the current situation, but I smirked and continued the conversation.

“There’s no such thing as a god.”

[A new job has been opened. Please select the job that you think you’ll need.]

“See, there’s no way that something like that exists,” I said.

There was no way.