"Yaaaawn…."
"Are you up? Did you have a nightmare?"
"…A little."
Kim Dokja, yawning with a much blanker face than usual as if he had a proper nightmare.
He shook his head left and right to come to his senses somehow, stretched, and stood up from his seat.
"Where are Yoo Sangah-ssi, Lycaon, and Yoosung?"
"Yoo Sangah is scouting. And those two went to beat up nearby monsters to train and earn Coins."
"Hmm…."
After sharing a brief conversation, the two sat in their respective seats, turned on their smartphones, and began to stare at them intently.
Smartphones in the morning…. Of course, it's not that I don't understand that behavior at all, but seeing them looking into smartphones with such peaceful faces in a ruined world made me question if the world really perished.
…By the way, what are those two looking at so diligently….
"…Blank paper?"
"Hey, so what are you going to do from now on?"
"What do you mean what? Just wait until the scenario starts."
Even while looking at 'something' where not a single phrase was written, the two began to talk about the future.
Future events. This is important too, but the fact that they were looking at 'something' on the smartphone with profound expressions bothered me more, but….
"—Let's say the north is handled by that woman called King of Wanderers. Then…, what about the center?"
"The center is…."
"…?"
Suddenly, those two were looking at me with quite reluctant expressions, so I had to put that question aside for a moment.
"What is it? If you have something to say, say it now."
"That, remember we explained about other Disasters while explaining the Disaster of Questions last time?"
"Yeah. Definitely, the west is the Disaster of Ice. The north is the Disaster of Water. And the center is the Disaster of Floods."
"…You remember well. That's right. The Disaster we have to subjugate in the next scenario is the Disaster of Floods. And that Disaster of Floods is more powerful than the other four Disasters combined."
Myung Ilsang, who was the Disaster of Questions.
That guy was certainly powerful enough that I couldn't do anything alone.
But as a result of clearing scenarios so far, I realized one fact.
That is, the scenario never gives content that absolutely cannot be cleared. It's damn difficult, but still clearable.
Therefore, this Disaster of Floods will also be tough, but surely clearable.
Even more so since there are two great people, a Regressor and a Prophet, in the party right now, the process should be easier.
—Is what I definitely thought.
"…But we know a way to clear such a Disaster of Floods in the blink of an eye, without any hardship."
Kim Dokja, to think he would say there is such an easy way.
Since clearing the scenario easily and conveniently without going through difficulties is what I want, I nodded at his words and waited for what he would say next.
"We just need to sacrifice one person."
"One person? Who is it. Is it someone we can bring right now?"
"Yeah. It's fully possible."
At his words, I began to slowly loosen my stiff body and prepare to go outside.
Should I use only the Ten Shadows Technique without Shrine this time….
"So who is it? That person."
"It's someone you also know."
"…Someone, I also know?"
-Flinch….
I started retracing my memory for a moment.
Among the people I know, was there someone who could become the Disaster of Floods?
That woman named Lee Seolhwa or something? Or Yoo Joonghyuk? If not that either….
"Not just you, but Yoo Sangah-ssi also knows. Lycaon knows too."
"…."
Me, and beyond Yoo Sangah, even Lycaon.
When my thoughts reached there. I could clearly recall the appearance of one person, no. One child in my head.
Brown hair, short cut without bangs, good and cute impression, and chubby cheeks.
And—
"Ah, Oppa…!! We're back!"
—The appearance of that child who was the only one calling me Oppa in this ruined world.
[The Constellation, 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon', smiles.]
[A majority of Constellations are interested in the development of the scenario.]
"…Oppa?"
"…Right. If you went to train with Lycaon, you must have trained the Path of the Wind. Is the skill operation better than last time?"
"Ah, yes! Now I can use it enough to fly myself!"
"Master's talent is truly marvelous. With this level of talent…, surely on the day she becomes an adult, she will be powerful beyond comparison with others."
"Is that so, that's a relief."
It wasn't a great compliment, but Shin Yoosung blushed saying she liked it and smiled bashfully.
So, this brat. This child who looks fragile enough to break with a snap if I grab her neck right now, is the Disaster of Floods who will destroy Seoul later.
Something, didn't really hit home.
"…Shin Yoosung. There is one thing I want to ask."
"Yes? What is it…?"
"Why do you want to become strong so much."
"…Yes?"
At that moment, a few questions flashed through my mind.
Questions I wanted to ask when I had time, but never asked since meeting her until now.
"You are just a brat who hasn't even hit puberty yet. Isn't it repulsive for such a brat to hold a dagger and cut monsters much bigger than her body, and kill the same humans?"
"…B, but Oppa told me not to be a hindrance…."
"Right. I did. As I said back then, what I want from you is not to bother me. I don't need anything more than that. So there is no need for you to exert yourself to subjugate a Disaster like last time, or try to death to subjugate the upcoming Disaster like now."
"…."
"…And I feel like the reason you are doing that is because you want to be helpful to me. Am I wrong?"
"…That's right."
Anyway, since I am Shin Yoosung's lifesaver, that child probably wanted to repay me somehow.
Because that child was a good child, unsuitably so for this ruined world.
"Then. If there is something you can help me with more than anything else right now, what would you do?"
"…Yes?"
"If you help with one thing, I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life. If there is such a thing for you right now…."
"I, I will do it! Please tell me anything!"
"Is that so. Then—"
Shin Yoosung's face turns bright.
But contrary to that, Kim Dokja's face was crumpled ferociously.
And my face was.
"Die right here. That is the best way you can help me."
"…Yes?"
More peaceful than ever.
"…Wait, what does that mean?"
"…Yoo Sangah."
"I asked what that means. Those words just now, are you serious…?"
Yoo Sangah, who just returned from scouting, looked at me with a rigid face.
A posture as if she would draw her dagger at any moment. Seeing that, I told them the story I heard from Kim Dokja and Han Sooyoung.
"…So, you're saying Yoosung is like…, the 'Disaster of Questions'?"
"…Similar but slightly different. To be precise, what comes as a Disaster is not Yoosung but Yoosung's 'future'."
"My, future…."
Shin Yoosung's face turns to the floor.
A face I seem to have seen a lot somewhere, sometime. I stared at that face intently but soon shifted my gaze elsewhere.
"My goal is to clear the scenario. So if there is an easy way, it's much more comfortable to go that way as much as possible."
"…Just because of that. Just because the future is determined, you are going to kill Yoosung? Such a young child!?"
"In a ruined world, age or gender, what does that matter? Save if needed. Ignore if not needed. Kill if harmful. In this world, only these three things are needed to judge people."
"…Yuhyeon-ssi. I didn't see you like that, I'm really disappointed."
"Disappointed, you say. Then do you think what you are thinking is right without a single error?"
Yoo Sangah began to openly show hostility while grinding her teeth.
Watching that quietly, I asked her back.
"Then, do you have a proper plan?"
"…Yes?"
"Without killing Shin Yoosung, when this child's future, the Disaster of Floods, comes here. If more people die than the number of humans you have killed, and it creates a harm more serious than the harm created by the Disaster of Questions, and furthermore, if it goes beyond your companions and even kills you. Even then, can you proudly say that you did the right thing for Shin Yoosung? Are you confident to accept death without any regret?"
"…Th, that."
Yoo Sangah's pupils shook violently.
She probably never thought about it either.
She wouldn't be confident that she wouldn't regret saying 'If only I had done that back then….' while looking at the harm created by Shin Yoosung's future, the Disaster of Floods.
"Yoo Sangah. Saying you will save Shin Yoosung is no different from killing hundreds of others unless you know a way to surely subjugate the Disaster of Floods. And among them, there will be young children similar in age to Shin Yoosung, and elderly people older than you."
"…."
"Then can you explain everything to them? asking them to sacrifice themselves to save one child. Asking them to bet hundreds of lives to save one child's life."
"…Ah, aaah…."
"…Ha. You can't even be confident. That means you weren't confident in your own thoughts either."
[The Constellation, 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon', looks at the current situation with lonely eyes.]
[The Constellation, 'Secretive Plotter', groans.]
[The Constellation, 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband', looks at you with lonely eyes.]
[The Constellation, 'Demonic Judge of Fire', is greatly disappointed in you.]
"…Well, the choice is up to Shin Yoosung. In the end, I only suggested a method. Let her decide."
With those words, I go outside the temporary camp where a chilly silence flows.
Staring blankly at Shin Yoosung's shadow, which was drooping powerlessly.