ReLife Player

Unlocked chapter (3/11)

[Windless Day (5)]

‘A child I don’t need.’

‘Why did I even give birth to you?’

My mother would say things like that out loud.

She was someone who longed for Father’s love so much that she said she had me to regain his attention.

But Father never accepted Mother.

On Father’s birthday, Mother, all dressed up, took me to Father’s mansion.

The emotion Father showed us there was contempt.

Father had the face of someone seeing a cockroach, surrounded by a beautiful wife and cute children.

After that incident, mother rarely came home, and when she did, she would come in drunk and swear at me.

She said I was worse than a dog, that I was only there to be fed.

Why the hell were you born?

I don’t need someone like you.

I’m sorry, I’ll do better.

I’ll listen to mom, and I won’t be a picky eater.

So please don’t throw me away.

It was a tearful scene.

I hadn’t done anything wrong.

I was just scared that my mother, that woman, would leave me behind.

She meant the world to me.

But despite my tearful pleas, she never came home.

The last I heard of her was that she had been killed by a monster one day during a terrible snowstorm.

If I hadn’t been lucky enough to enter the orphanage, there would have been nothing I could have done.

Seoyoung, what kind of person do you want to become?

I want to be a player, someone who can help others.

When I came to the orphanage, I wanted to be someone who could help someone.

I wanted to be a player who fights monsters to protect people.

I wanted to be a player.

A hero who saves people.

As if this was my destiny, I had a power stronger than anyone else.

The power to protect someone.

The power to save someone.

But the reality and the ideal were different.

The Academy was a brutal world.

People envied those better than them, bullied the weaker ones, and exploited the kind-hearted. While it might be true for any world, their world, where death was always close, didn’t hide desire and malice.

It was a challenging world for those who aspired to protect people from monsters.

I had to acknowledge that not all players had a sense of duty as humanity’s protectors.

Eventually, my willpower waned with each passing day.

People pointed fingers and criticized me for wanting to be a protector of people.

I was bullied, harassed, and taken advantage of.

The only thing that kept me going was my oppa.

I knew that if I tried hard enough, maybe the others would change someday.

There are not only bad people in the academy, there are also many good people.

Who wanted to be a hero, to save someone.

Someone who didn’t give in to evil and didn’t hesitate to do what they thought was right.

Someone who could say something was wrong when it felt wrong, or absurd when it felt absurd.

He was my idol, the person I wanted to be.

So I supported him as he graduated from the academy and went out into the world.

I hoped he could save countless people.

Eventually, I graduated from the academy as well.

The world was harsher than I thought it would be.

There were times when I had to kill someone to protect someone, and there were times when I had to lose someone to save someone.

I’ve had people I’ve helped resent and criticize me.

Why didn’t you show up and save them sooner?

If I had arrived sooner, their family wouldn’t have died.

That it was the only way to save them.

The reality was different.

As time went on, I became exhausted. I became helpless.

If I hadn’t met my oppa back then, I might not be who I am today.

‘Sung-joon… oppa…?’

‘Long time no see. How have you been?’

Two years after he graduated from the academy.

We met again in the midst of ruins.

The oppa I met again was a shadowy figure.

Surely he had experienced much during our separation.

Two years were both short and long.

We learned that the world is not as beautiful as we thought it was.

How have you been doing in the meantime?

I can see you’ve been through a lot.

What happened to you?

Can you tell me?

Still, my oppa hasn’t given up on his faith.

His face, like ashes that had been overturned, showed a smile not much different from the past.

Back then, I realized that my oppa hadn’t given up on his conviction that he wasn’t wrong.

Don’t cry. Why are you crying?

There’s something I want to do.

I have a lot of work to do.

Won’t you help me?

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

I was so ashamed of myself for giving in to reality, but at the same time, I was glad he needed me.

He seemed to understand what I was going through, and I felt comforted that I wasn’t wrong.

What are you talking about?

You haven’t changed at all. You haven’t done anything wrong.

You did well.

You worked hard.

It must have been tough, right?

From now on, I’ll be by your side.

And I… I fell in love.

☆

The meeting ended in the worst atmosphere.

Shin Seo-young, who had shed tears for a long time, overcame the objections of the clan members and found Gil Sung-jun’s tent.

«Gah!»

As soon as she opened the tent, a woman’s scream rang out.

The woman quickly adjusted her clothes and passed her by with her head bowed.

Shin Seo-young, who understood the situation, bit her lip with red eyes.

Inside the tent, a strong wind raged. Various objects were swept away by the wind.

Even Gil Sung-jun, who was there, was picked up by the wind.

«Shin Seo-young!»

Gil Sung-jun, who was being carried away by the wind, shouted her name from deep within his chest.

Then, the wind stopped.

Gil Sung-jun, who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head.

«What do you think you’re doing, and why are you acting so angry lately?»

«…I told you before. I have my limits to endure.

And that’s the only thing you can come up with for me?»

«…I’m sorry, that was wrong.

But even so, as a Clan Lord, I have a duty of care, can’t you think that people outside might have heard?»

«You’re supposed to be a clan lord, dragging a clan member into bed in the middle of Uijeongbu?»

«I’m so sorry about that, I was wrong.

Seo-young, you know you’re the only one I have. I’ll do better in the future.»

It’s always like this.

It wasn’t the first time Gil Sung-joon had cheated on her.

Each time, he would say he was wrong and promise to do better.

I was tired of this cycle.

I was tired of it, but I couldn’t let it go.

Next time, it would be different.

Next time, I won’t do it.

When he would apologize on his knees, I would look forward to hearing the word next.

The memory of him being nice to her flashed through her mind, and she couldn’t push him away.

«Haa, but Seo-young, I just want you to understand.»

«What.»

«Honestly, it’s not like I did that much wrong, is it?»

«What?»

Sometimes he could scratch her ego, even stroke her self-esteem.

«Legally, it may not be a problem, but it’s been a while since the era of a single-wife system disappeared. Why should I get scolded for briefly meeting other women?»

«Is that what you’re talking to me about? How can you say that bullshit confidently….»

«I’m not being confident, I’m telling it like it is.

I’m not the only one cheating, there are men who openly cheat on their wives, so why should I be blamed?»

«Oppa, are you crazy?»

«Seo-young, let’s be honest, you have been busy since you turned a Twelve Seat, I can’t bother you every night, and I’m doing this for you.»

«Don’t cross the line and don’t shift the blame. It’s not for my sake, you just want to do it, oppa!»

«Don’t you understand my feelings? I think about you a lot, and I also do it for your sake.»

«Oppa, I mean you….»

«Seoyoung, don’t you understand my heart? Why can’t you believe me? Do you think I’m some kind of womanizer?»

«Then, oppa should have shown it through actions. Every time like this…»

«Ha, this conversation, I’m so sick of it. You’re sick, do I really look like a guy who can’t control himself when he sees a woman? Do you have any idea how tiring that makes a person?»

«…Sick of it? Tired of it?»

«I’m probably the only guy who’s been with a woman as tired as you for ten years.»

Tired. Tired.

Those words brought tears to her eyes.

She stopped herself from crying. Ignoring the smeared makeup, she glanced away.

Are you sick of me? Am I so unattractive?

Do I make you tired? Am I weird?

«Haa…. Seo-young, why are you crying again. It’s my fault, okay?»

She felt her self-esteem drop every time she heard his thoughtless words.

Sometimes, she wondered if she really was an ugly person.

Each time, he would reassure her that he didn’t mean it.

«I love you. You know I love you more than anything in the world, right?»

«…You’re lying.»

«I really do. I can’t live without you, so don’t cry, okay?»

Every time I show tears, he tells me he loves me.

A man who usually doesn’t even tell her he likes her.

Still, she felt relieved when he confessed his love with that smile she loved so much.

«I understand that you’re going through a tough time.»

«What… do you understand?»

«Tell me everything, okay?»

«…No.»

Those words were comforting.

I loved the way he said it.

It made me feel like he actually understood me.

This was one thing that hadn’t changed since we’d become lovers.

The person who understood the path she had walked, her intentions, was him and him alone.

«Next time…don’t do that.»

«I won’t.»

«You’ll do it again.»

«I won’t.»

She sensed sincerity in him.

He was a man who broke his promises time and time again, but when he made them, he was strangely trustworthy.

In fact, she knew.

It’s not that he can’t be trusted, it’s just that she wants to trust him.

I only have my oppa.

Please look at me.

Please don’t abandon me.

Shin Seo-young.

As a player, she was strong, but in love, she was endlessly weak.

Decades of time shaped her that way.

☆

The top floor of Uijeongbu City Hall.

Everything was in ashes.

The entire floor bore only blackened traces, a testament to the fierce battle that had taken place.

«…Persistent bastard.»

Kang Hyuncheol, who had extinguished the remaining embers, lay sprawled on the ground.

Fourth-tier Liger Swallow.

After a battle involving more than ten players ranked A or higher, they had finally managed to eliminate him.

Everyone did their part, and no one died.

«Bring some water over here!»

«Hey, snap out of it! It’s all over!»

«I’ve run out of mana. Please bring some potions.»

«Bang Yeon-ji Sublord, over here!»

«Well, I need to make aloe vera. We need plants with enough moisture.»

There were some injured, though.

He shifted his gaze away from the busy people.

In the direction he’d turned, navigators were gathering data from the Liger Swallower.

«Blaze Clan lord. Isn’t it hot?»

«What do you mean, it’s not hot at all.»

«I’m telling you to be careful next time.»

«What? What do you mean….»

At that moment, Clan Lord Do wanjun approached.

He wiped the sweat from the nape of his neck and pointed his finger at the people nearby.

All of them had fought in the battlefield.

All of them were wiping their sweat with towels and gulping down water.

«I don’t know about your clanmates, but the rest of us, including me, must have felt like we were in a steam bath from the energy you gave off.»

«Ah….»

The supporters deployed magic to block the heat.

But as the battle raged on, even their protective magic was not enough to keep the heat at bay.

His clanmates were used to the heat, but others felt like they were dealing with both heat and monsters.

«But you can’t withstand this?»

«I don’t think there are many supporters in the country who can handle your strength.»

«Oh, no. There’s also a player here, Bang Yeon-ji….»

«You and Bang Yeon-ji are not compatible. Do you think a plant can withstand fire?»

Kang Hyun-chul nodded absentmindedly.

As Do Wanjun had said, he and Bang Yeon-ji were incompatible in magic.

Besides, she was only skilled in auxiliary magic using plants, not a versatile practitioner of support system magic like Park Hye-rim.

«If we hadn’t had the smoke screen…, some people would have died from the heat.»

Do Wan-jun pointed to a player being carried out on a stretcher.

He had apparently passed out from the heat.

«Well, it’s probably because your magic is stronger than before.»

«…I admit it.»

Kang Hyun-chul.

He was a man who burned the stronger the opponent.

This time was no different. Against the Liger Swallower, he realized that he had gotten stronger.

«It’s good to be strong but…, please, can’t you look at the situation calmly like Lee Do-jin….»

«Why is his name coming up here!»

Kang Hyun-chul shouted.

<Brainwave> Lee Do-jin.

A friend and rival who had become a Twelve at the same age as him.

«Anyway, good job.»

«Well, thank you.»

The monster that ruled Uijeongbu City Hall was defeated.

Now all that remained was to eliminate the monsters around the city hall and wait for Division C’s supply.

Before they arrived, tehy’d take anything that might be of value.

It was a victor’s right.

The corners of their mouths lifted in agreement.

It was then.

Meow.

A cat was sitting by the window.

It crossed its legs and licked its front paws.

«Looks like Uijeongbu isn’t just for monsters. There are cats too.»

Kang Hyun-chul looked at the cat with a newfound sense of wonder.

The cat, which had been wagging its tail, made eye contact with him.

Its nose glistened like a cobalt blue jewel.

It was a mysterious cat that gave off a mystical vibe.

Meow, meow.

The cat meowed.

The players, including him, chuckled. Some of them even rummaged through their pockets, perhaps to offer it some food.

«But… it’s quite unusual, isn’t it?»

«What do you mean?»

He asked Do Wanjun, who had been gesturing for the cat to come over and scratching his nose.

«How did the cat get up here?»

«Maybe it came up the stairs.»

«That’s possible. It could have, but… how is it surviving in this heat?»

«Oh, now that you mention it…»

Kang Hyuncheol’s eyes widened.

Meow.

The cat leaped out of the window.