Chapter 72
"Ugh, ugh... uh..." Strange sounds flowed out of my mouth.
My vision was red. Whether it was blood flowing from my forehead or blood streaming out of my eyes, I couldn't tell. But it didn't matter. If I had made it to the Ark, it was enough.
—Participant number 041666, Sun-Woo, Ark entry. 1:09:12.67.
—Participant number 041666, Sun-Woo, ‘2 [Unreleased Condition]’ met. The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.
As I finally entered Ark, a harsh mechanical sound accompanied the halo that enveloped me. Immediately afterward, my red vision gradually turned white, and drowsiness washed over me.
The pains that had plagued me all over my body began to fade away little by little.
"Heh, heh..." I found myself unintentionally laughing.
It wasn't just because I had passed the first checkpoint. It was because Ha-Yeon was wrong when she said that the easy path was a trap. It was indeed a trap, but I had managed to avoid elimination. Not only that, but I even fulfilled the undisclosed second condition and passed the first checkpoint.
I was not wrong. Ha-Yeon was wrong, and ultimately, my judgment not to trust Ha-Yeon was correct. I was so delighted about the fact that I found myself laughing without even realizing it. The halo wrapped around me, and I was met with a flash of brilliant light, but my smile stayed on my face till I lost consciousness.
***
"That was Sun-Woo who just passed by, right? Wow... he’s a fierce one, isn’t he?" Su-Ryeon said while rubbing her arms as if feeling a chill.
She thought of Sun-Woo, who had blood splattered all over his body and bloody tears streaming down his face as he split the waterfall. He seemed like another person compared to the laughing fool who took care of In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk.
...A completely different person?
"..."
While Su-Ryeon was shaking her head due to a weird feeling she had, Ha-Yeon was staring blankly at the spot Sun-Woo had passed. Her eyes, which had not shown a single change in emotion even in the midst of arguing with Min-Seo, were flickering noticeably. Fear was evident in her eyes.
"That guy, he's really something." Min-Seo's arrogant tone broke the silence.
The smile on her lips was as chilling as ever. She looked at Ha-Yeon with a calm expression on her face.
"Hey."
Ha-Yeon turned her head at the calling voice. It wasn't as intense as before, but there was still a hint of fear lingering on her face. It was the face of a person who hadn't fully regained their composure.
No one could tell what had frightened Ha-Yeon so much. However, since there was no need to know, Min-Seo decided not to ask and only relay what she had to say.
"I'm sorry about earlier. You had it all figured out, right?"
"Huh...?"
"Well, didn't you calculate that he would make his own way here? If you had shared your plan in advance, we wouldn't have had to fight. Things would have gone differently," Min-Seo chuckled.
Her laugh sounded villainous. Ha-Yeon looked silently at Min-Seo with an uneasy expression as Min-Seo had pushed Ha-Yeon’s already dazed mind into a deeper state. Ha-Yeon struggled to suppress her overwhelming confusion and slowly nodded.
"Yes, well..."
"Anyway, everything went according to plan. Let's get out of here."
The venom filling Min-Seo's eyes suddenly disappeared. Min-Seo unfolded the note she received as soon as the test began and quickly scanned it.
"What? Why isn't the way out written here? Can't we forfeit? I want to leave."
"...If you tear the note, you'll be able to leave. I'll go first."
Rip.
Once Ha-Yeon tore the note, a light started emanating from her body. More precisely, her body gradually transformed into light and disappeared. Eventually, Ha-Yeon's form vanished without a trace.
"How does she know that? Is it because her dad made this?" Min-Seo said with a puzzled look. "Well... Anyway, I'm leaving too. Su-Ryeon, join me quickly."
"Byeee."
"Pfft. Byeee, my ass. We'll see each other right after we leave."
Rip!
Min-Seo ripped the note with a snort. Soon, her body also turned into light and vanished. Su-Ryeon watched the disappearing Min-Seo and felt a strange sense of unease.
Just moments ago, Min-Seo looked like she was ready to kill Ha-Yeon, but she suddenly apologized to Ha-Yeon as soon as things went according to plan. The change in attitude was too abrupt. It was as if she were a different person.
"A different person."
Rip.
Su-Ryeon suddenly thought that Sun-Woo and Min-Seo resembled each other in strange ways as she tore her note. Soon, her body also transformed into light and disappeared.
***
When I regained consciousness, I was sitting in a chair. In front of me was a massive dining table with the food and wine of communion set upon it.
"Arrgh, Su-Su-Ryeon, where the hell did that bastard go?"
"God, you scared me. What’s going on?"
At that moment, someone suddenly shouted. Startled, I turned my head and saw Jun-Hyuk. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked extremely angry.
"..Huh? Where am I? Ey? Sun-Woo, why are you here?" Jun-Hyuk asked with a puzzled expression while looking around.
"What's the reason?" Noah asked, and Ha-Rin’s gaze shifted between Noah and me with a determined look in her eyes. "I didn't pass the first checkpoint with my own skills. To be honest, I don't even remember it..."
"Ah, shouldn't you consider teaming up with Sun-Woo as something that you’ve done with your skills?”
"Um, well, that's... um. Honestly, I don't think I'll do well at the second checkpoint, so..." Ha-Rin stumbled with her words.
Noah smiled as if trying to relieve her tension. "Of course, that's also up to you! If you don't want to participate in the second checkpoint, you can leave through that door and leave the bread and wine behind."
"Ah, I see."
Ha-Rin stood up and walked toward the door with feeble steps. As she opened the door, she, too, disappeared, enveloped in a halo.
Eventually, I was left alone at the table.
“Sun-Woo, of course, you intend to participate?' Noah asked with a cheerful laugh.
Without a doubt, I wanted to participate in the second checkpoint. However, there was one thing that bothered me.
“Is there any extra credit for fulfilling the second condition?”
“'Of course,” Noah replied.
“'How much extra credit will be given?”
Though the difference wasn't significant, I had entered Ark later than Jun-Hyuk. While the second checkpoint still remained, I was uncertain whether I could surpass Jun-Hyuk in the test if things continued this way. Therefore, I asked about the reward for fulfilling the second condition. By knowing the reward for fulfilling the second condition, I could estimate what my chances were of surpassing Jun-Hyuk in this test.
“I cannot give you a definitive answer during the test,” Noah said, adjusting his collar. He laughed, “You'll find out when you leave. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised.”
It was a somewhat vague response, but I probably shouldn’t expect a more detailed answer. I gave up and took a bite of bread and a sip from the cup.
“Good luck,” I heard Noah say as my consciousness drifted away.
*
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a rock. The glaring sunlight was scorching. I looked around. Sand covered everything, and dust and sand made a sifting noise as they fell from my hair. The location of the second checkpoint was none other than a desert. Distant heavy noises resounded as if construction work was underway.
[Truly a mysterious place,] Legba said while I was still trying to regain my senses.
At the same time, a piercing headache rang from inside my head. It was the same kind of headache I had when I had first put on my father's ring and had barely managed to regain consciousness after being immersed in a spell.
[A very intricate illusion. Hard to believe Sung Yu-Da created it.]
"...So?"
[No, Sung Yu-Da may have created it, but it doesn't seem like he created it by himself.] Legba muttered.
Didn’t he create it by himself? According to my father’s memories, Sung Yu-Da used to be my father's friend. My father was skilled in handling spells, and he would have had no problem identifying such an intricate illusion. Moreover, I could smell the faint scent of spells in the Ark's illusion—the distinctive, dense, and sticky smell of Voodoo magic permeated throughout the Ark.
Could it be...?
Thud.
At that moment, a note fell from the air. I unfolded the note, convinced that it would contain the rules for the second checkpoint.
~
[Test number 041666 - Class of Charity Sun-Woo]
The theme for the second checkpoint is Babel!
Overcome numerous obstacles and halt the construction of the <Babel Tower>! You are free to accomplish this through any means, but if you fail to stop the construction within one hour, you will be eliminated. Obviously, if you die due to an accident, you will be eliminated!
Evaluation criteria: 1. [Unreleased condition] / 2. [Unreleased condition]
'Ark's Test' concludes with the second checkpoint, and the records will be transmitted to the administrator: Noah.
Good luck!
~
"Goodness."
After reading the note, my headache seemed to worsen. Setting aside the idea of halting the construction of Babel Tower within an hour, I couldn't help but think that it was too harsh for all the evaluation criteria to be confidential. I had no idea where to start.
Rumble—
While pressing my temples, trying to alleviate the headache, I heard a distant sound of something collapsing. When I turned my gaze, I saw the tower.
It was a towering and enormous structure that seemed to touch the sky. It seemed almost... pridefully tall. At the base of the tower, rather than people, there were peculiar creatures resembling beasts carrying stones and building the tower.
"...This is a bit excessive,” I muttered to myself as I looked at the tower.
First of all, there were too many workers building the tower. The Holy Book mentioned that the construction ended due to jumbling up the worker’s language, but I didn't possess the ability to do so.
Although there was a Loa related to language, they weren't powerful enough to mix up a language. If that was the case, then it meant I had to halt the tower's construction using a different method, but no suitable approach came to mind. Regardless of how much I pondered, the only ideas that came up were futile and nonsensical.
"..."
Lost in thought while gazing at the tower, suddenly, a sense of unease washed over me, causing me to look around.
The vast desert was sparsely decorated with cacti, and the tumbleweed rolled in the sand as the wind blew. No matter how much I looked around, I couldn't find any traces of humans.
...There were no traces of humans anywhere.
In that case, where was Jun-HyuK?