Memorize

The next morning had dawned. After speaking with An Hyun at dawn, I was able to return to my room and switch off from night duty and nursing shifts. Even though I insisted that it was fine, that they could sleep longer, they stubbornly pushed me out of the way, leaving me no choice. Since things had turned out this way, I lay down in a corner of the living room with the intent to close my eyes for a short while, but it seemed I had fallen into a deep sleep. I decided to reflect a little on this.

Even though there seemed to be no immediate threats, it was important not to let my guard down. Perhaps I was being overly cautious. However, I was the type of person who couldn't feel satisfied unless I pushed myself to the limit in everything I did. After 10 years of living this way, I had gotten used to avoiding full nights of sleep and hearty meals. As I thought about picking up the pace again, I was just about to get up when I sensed someone nearby. I opened my eyes slightly to see an unexpected figure sitting quietly beside where I had been sleeping. That person was none other than An Sol.

"Oh!"

An Sol, who had been fidgeting and tilting her head anxiously, locked eyes with me, and her eyes grew wide as lanterns. There really wasn't any need to be that startled. I am not your enemy. I greeted her softly, infusing my voice with a reassuring tone, as if to say, 'I won't harm you.'

"Good morning. How are you feeling?"

"Ah, good morning," She stammered, flustered yet polite in her greeting. Watching her, I couldn't help but smile. Oh no, this isn't good. Why is it that every time I see this girl, my heart softens so easily? Looking at her, who evoked an endless urge to protect her, I slowly got up. As she watched me, she hesitated, fidgeting awkwardly before finally speaking to me in a voice as small as a mosquito's.

"Op... oppa."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Sorry? For what?"

What is she suddenly talking about? I've heard 'I'm sorry' so many times, yesterday and today. I looked at An Sol with a puzzled expression, and she lowered her head, continuing.

"Well... I heard that... I caused you a lot of trouble..."

Her words were so fragmented that someone who didn't know the situation might misunderstand. Putting that aside, seeing her stutter made me worry about her future. How could she possibly handle living with such extraordinary people in the Hall Plain while stuttering even with others? Could this girl, who seems to struggle with speaking, really become a shining figure on par with the Shadow Queen or the Execution Princess among female users in the future? It seemed like a distant dream. I replied with a nonchalant expression.

"There's no need to apologize. In fact, you did very well. I heard you saved everyone's lives, didn't you?"

"No, no! I don't remember that clearly!"

I could tell that showing my true feelings would only make her more downcast, so I shook my head with a kindly expression. It seemed she appreciated my praise, as her face brightened, and she started clapping her hands with a beaming smile. It was clear from her face that she was very much a natural type, with her thoughts written all over her expression. I was really curious about how she had been raised to be so pure and naive. At that moment, I heard someone calling me from behind.

"Kim Su-Hyeon oppa, if you're awake, come have breakfast."

"?"

"Why? Oppa? Why are you looking at me with such a questioning gaze?"

"?"

"Why are you looking at me like that... Fine, I get it. I'll just go back to how it was. An Hyun told me that you took care of the night watch and nursing for us yesterday. I made breakfast to thank him. The rest has already been eaten, so don't worry."

"Ah, I see. Thanks."

Nodding and extending my hand, she placed a plate in front of me with a slightly annoyed expression. The menu was the same tuna crackers as yesterday. I wanted to tease her, asking if this was the only thing she could make because the menu hadn't changed, but given the cold look she gave me, I decided it was better to stay silent.

"...."

"...."

I took a cracker and bit into it. Both Lee Yun-Jung and An Sol sat quietly, watching me eat. After chewing on the cracker with a disgruntled expression, I put it down. Lee Yun-Jung blinked at me, urging me to eat more, while An Sol, with a look of innocent delight, continued to beam. Were these kids acting up together today?

"Do I look like a zoo monkey to you?"

"Not quite. It's just that your way of eating is fascinating."

"Fascinating?"

"Not really," She said. 'Hmm. Did I eat in a strange way? I was just eating the way I normally do…' As I casually thought this, a sudden realization hit me.

"An Hyun just chews a few times and swallows, but you do the complete opposite. You nibble a little bit, and then you chew it very slowly and finely before swallowing a bit at a time. And you don't even eat much. Why do you eat like that?"

I couldn't answer right away. Lee Yun-Jung's perceptiveness was unexpectedly sharp. The truth was, when I was chased by fairies in the Fairy Forest and there was a shortage of food, I had developed the habit of eating very slowly, breaking down the remaining food into small portions to last the day. Additionally, when I was assembling a caravan or participating in expeditions and battles, I avoided eating until I was full to keep my senses sharp. Fullness could dull senses, so I always ate in a way that would keep my senses at their peak.

However, I couldn't just reveal this straightforwardly, so I decided to subtly shift the topic.

"It's just a habit of mine. I do eat, but in situations like this, I tend to eat a little less. By the way, I don't see the other two. Where did they go?"

"An-hyun and Kim Han-Byeol? An Hyun went out to look around by himself, and I think Kim Han-Byeol went up to the rooftop."

I let out a sigh of relief internally as Lee Yun-Jung answered without any suspicion. Then, I suddenly felt someone's gaze. I turned my head and saw An-sol looking at me with wide, clear eyes. When our eyes met, she awkwardly smiled again, her face still tinged with unease. What's going on with her today?

I felt that An-sol was similar to a child. When children meet a stranger for the first time, they instinctively act cautious, afraid the person might harm them. If you approach them thoughtlessly, they'll express their discomfort and burst into tears.

The way to befriend such children is simple. At first, you maintain a certain distance and do nothing to make them realize you're not a threat. Once the child feels safe, curiosity takes over, and they begin to approach you, showing interest. That moment is when you can start building a relationship with them.

I was briefly reflecting on An-sol... or rather, just indulging in some trivial thoughts, when I chewed on another cracker Yun-Jung had made and drifted into other thoughts. If we count a day based on 24:00 as the cutoff, today marks the second day since we entered the trap point. In other words, we were safe until 24:00 today. Although no one said anything, it seemed like everyone was quite fond of this place.

"I hope they come back soon. There's something I need to talk about."

"Talk about what? Like how we should move forward?"

"Something like that."

"What is it? Oppa, why don't you tell Sol and me first?"

Yun-Jung, sitting with her knees together and her arms wrapped around them, asked curiously. An-sol also seemed a bit startled when the topic of the future came up, her face showing slight tension. I figured there might be some resistance when I said what I needed to, but I decided to face it head-on. No matter how hard it was to say, it was something everyone needed to know.

"I think we should leave this city today."

As soon as I finished speaking, just as I expected, their faces instantly stiffened.

*

"I just went on a quick patrol. Like you said, it's eerily quiet out there."

The first thing An Hyun said as he walked through the front door was that the city was suspiciously silent. Everyone had gathered in the living room after I mentioned that I had something to talk about. Kim Han-Byeol, who had apparently calmed down while getting some fresh air, seemed to have regained his usual cold and composed demeanor. After scanning everyone's faces, I immediately began to speak.

"I'm sure everyone heard something from the angels before coming to this place known as the 'Rite of Passage.'"

"Well, I don't really remember much. I didn't hear anything because I got into a huge fight with that winged bitch."

I couldn't help but smile bitterly at Lee Yun-Jung, who tilted her head, clearly puzzled. I decided to leave her aside for the moment and turned my attention to An Hyun and Kim Han-Byeol. After thinking for a while, they began to speak one by one.

"I did read the precautions, but there were so many. Things like: they wouldn't provide us with water or food, so we had to find it ourselves; death in this space means real death, so be careful; and the survival conditions involved reaching the central warp gate, and… what else was there?"

"Surviving for seven days."

Kim Han-Byeol supplemented An Hyun's words. And that was exactly what I had been waiting to hear.

"Exactly. Surviving for seven days. Han-byeol, do you remember any other details attached to that clause?"

At my question, Kim Han-Byeol briefly looked a bit irritated, but then she spoke.

"I remember. I think the angel directly told me not to settle in one place for too long. Either keep running for seven days or head to the center."

I nodded at her words and was about to speak again when Lee Yun-Jung quickly stood up and beat me to it.

"But oppa, this place is safe, right? We have plenty of food, we slept well, and we have a house. Don't you remember yesterday? As soon as we left the forest, we went through hell."

"That's true. Hyung, do we really need to leave? We don't have to believe everything those angels say."

An Hyun quickly chimed in to support her argument, and Yun-Jung, now looking much more relieved, glanced at me. It was clear neither of them wanted to leave. I met their gazes calmly and spoke in a quiet voice.

"I think everyone's getting a bit too comfortable, thinking only about the present. But try considering the opposite."

"The opposite?"

"Yes. Hyun just scouted the area, so he knows this city is eerily quiet. In the forest, we were constantly on edge, and even when we got out, you were attacked. If we go back out, it'll probably happen again. But..."

I paused for a moment before continuing.

"The angels don't want us to settle down like this. They even warned us. Survive for seven days or reach the central warp gate, but don't settle. We need to understand what the angels really want. If you combine the meaning of the 'Rite of Passage' with our current situation, staying here goes against their intention. Just look at how strange things are right now. Compared to outside, this place is way too comfortable: good facilities, plenty of food, no monsters. I think it's a trap. I have a bad feeling that if we stay here any longer, something could happen."

"...So basically, you're saying we should leave because you have a bad feeling." Yun-Jung said.

"I get that it's hard to accept based on just a gut feeling. But the truth is, this place feels unsettling. I think the best strategy is to rest only as much as we need to, gather supplies, and then leave. Ideally, I'd like to leave today."

Even though I was trying to persuade them, I wasn't confident I could convince them. The success rate of persuasion is vastly different between a situation of immediate danger and one of safety. Moreover, even I felt that my argument lacked strength. It wasn't completely baseless, but it relied heavily on intuition and gut feelings. Still, that was inevitable. There was bound to be a difference in understanding between someone who knew the Hall Plain and someone who didn't.

Everyone remained silent for a while, but from their discontented expressions, it was clear they didn't want to leave. Of course, if it came to a boss monster, I could deal with it myself, but since this was a place provided by the angels, I wanted them to follow the standard course. The more comfortable they were now, the more they'd inevitably struggle in the Hall Plain. An Hyun looked up, met my eyes, then glanced at everyone before speaking.

"Since we seem to have different opinions… let's settle this by a majority vote."

"A majority vote?"

"Yes. But there will be two conditions attached to this vote."

"What conditions?"

I was intrigued by his unexpected suggestion. A majority vote—it felt like it had been a long time since I'd heard those words. Kim Han-Byeol also seemed to find it refreshing and asked curiously. An Hyun nodded slightly and explained.

"The conditions are simple. First, each person can choose one of three options: agree, disagree, or abstain. But they must explain the reason for their choice. And second, regardless of the outcome, everyone has to accept the decision without any complaints."

At An Hyun's words, Yun-Jung, confident that staying here would win, responded in a bright voice.

"I agree! No objections here. A majority vote, huh? Sounds great. Let's do it right now! I'll go first, okay?"

"Yeah, this kind of thing is better decided quickly."

"No objections."

"Alright then… Does anyone have a different opinion? If not, we'll proceed like this."

With Kim Han-Byeol, An-sol, and myself in agreement, An Hyun nodded and turned his gaze to Yun-Jung. Slowly, she opened her mouth, and everyone focused on what she was about to say.

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