Bab 22: Chapter 22:- Tell Me What Happened?
My smile vanished instantly as a serious look took over my face. I straightened up, crossing my arms as I studied Jin-Woo closely.
I saw his own smile falter as he met my intense gaze. Any warmth between us disappeared; right now, I felt ready to interrogate him.
"So," I began, my voice cold and unyielding, "how did you make it out of there alive, Jin-Woo? With all those people dead… how are you here? You look perfectly fine for someone who escaped a death trap dungeon.
In fact, your muscles and body seem even stronger now, something I noticed when I grabbed your arm earlier."
His eyes widened a bit. "Samuel, I—"
"Save it." I cut him off sharply, taking a step closer, my dagger out in the open, right on Jin Woo's neck, one wrong answer and I was ready to slice his neck.
"You could be anyone or anything right now, trying to blend in. Maybe you're not Jin-Woo at all. I've seen enough monsters who know how to infiltrate. I'll need proof that you're really him."
He swallowed, nodding slowly, realizing I wasn't going to just take his word for it. The tension in the room grew thick, and I held my stance firm. I wanted him to understand—one wrong answer, and this wouldn't end well for him.
"Fine," he said, resigned. "Ask me whatever you need to."
I narrowed my eyes, deciding on the questions. They needed to be things only the real Jin-Woo would know—no chance of a fake slipping by.
"Alright," I began, keeping my tone harsh. "When we were twelve, Jin-Ah found something under your bed that made her scream. What was it?"
He smirked a little, though I could tell he felt the pressure. "It was a horror manga she thought was real. She freaked out so bad she didn't talk to me for a week."
I kept my expression unreadable and moved on to the next question, not giving him an inch. "And when I first met your mom, what was the first thing she did?"
I noticed his eyes soften as he thought back. "She made you homemade kimchi, and you tried to be so polite eating it, even though you were practically dying from the spice."
I nodded slightly, still holding back my reaction. "One last thing," I said, my voice low and challenging. "Jin-Ah's birthday. What do I get her every year?"
A bit of the tension left his shoulders, and he let out a soft laugh. "A stuffed bear. You've gotten her one every single year, and she has all of them lined up on her bed. She even named each one."
Raising an eyebrow, I crossed my arms. "Alright then, name them. Every single one I've given her, in order, along with the year. I want to hear all of them."
Jin-Woo looked at me, a faint smile on his face, catching on that I wasn't going to make this easy. He took a deep breath, thinking back.
"Alright. Let's see… The first one, 2XX6, was Rosie. She was a small, soft pink bear with a red bow. Jin-Ah loved her so much she took her everywhere," he said, his voice colored with nostalgia.
I gave him a slight nod, and he continued.
"2XX7 was Buster, the big brown bear with the white belly. Jin-Ah liked him because he was a little bigger, so she'd hug him whenever she was sad."
I kept my eyes narrowed, but I let him keep going.
"In 2XX8, you got her Daisy. She was cream-colored with tiny embroidered flowers on her paws. Jin-Ah was so excited because it looked unique, and she said Daisy was her 'happy bear.'"
Jin-Woo paused, looking back at me, waiting for my silent approval. I gestured for him to continue.
"2XX9 was Patches," he said. "He was a light blue bear with stitched patches on his paws and ears. Jin-Ah loved him because she said he reminded her that it was okay not to be perfect."
I almost cracked a smile at that, but I stayed quiet, letting him finish.
"And in 2XX0, there was Snowy, the pure white bear with blue eyes. Jin-Ah called him her 'winter friend' and liked keeping him close, especially during cold nights."
Finally, I couldn't help a faint smile, but I still stayed silent.
"Then, in 2XX1, you gave her Spark. He was yellow and had tiny lightning bolts embroidered on his feet. Jin-Ah said he was her 'adventure buddy' and took him along for trips," he continued, his own smile growing.
"And last year, 2XX2, there was Mocha, the brown bear with a coffee-colored scarf. Jin-Ah started drinking coffee then, remember? She said Mocha was her 'grown-up bear.'"
He looked at me confidently, no hesitation left. He'd remembered every single one, down to the last detail.
I stared at him hard for a moment before finally letting out a breath, relaxing, taking the dagger away from the neck. "Alright. You pass. You're the real Jin-Woo."
The tension in the room softened, and Jin-Woo chuckled, relief evident in his eyes.
"Jin-Woo," I said, my tone still serious but gentler now. "Just had to make sure, you know? Can't take any chances these days."
He nodded, fully understanding. "I get it. Thank you for looking out for her, Samuel. You're like family to us."
I gave him a nod, placing a hand on his shoulder, reassuring him. "Always."
We sat there quietly for a moment, letting the tension fade. I could see my earlier suspicion fading from his face, but there was still a flicker of something—worry, perhaps.
"Now," I said, taking a step back and crossing my arms. "Tell me exactly what happened in that dungeon. From the beginning."
Jin-Woo took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. "It was… brutal," he began. "I was the last one standing. I somehow managed to make sure the rest of them escaped."
(Flashback No Jutsu)
(Jin-Woo's Perspective)
One by one, the hunters who could still move ran toward the exit, their desperation driving them to abandon each other, and I found myself at the end of the line, the last one standing near the altar.
Everything within me screamed to run, but I was frozen in place, a lone figure in the vast, hostile silence. Around me, the towering statues stood like sentinels of death, their weapons poised and ready to strike.
Fear clawed at my throat, but beneath it, a surge of defiance flared. I could see my death looming over me.
"If I'm going to die here," I muttered to myself, fists clenched, "Then I'll at least take one of you down with me."
I locked my gaze onto the nearest statue—a cold, looming figure wielding a massive sword. With a surge of desperation, I dashed forward, muscles straining as I lunged at the stone giant with everything I had.
My strike, however, was meaningless against the unyielding stone, and before I could retreat, the statue moved with deadly precision.
Pain exploded through me as the statue's sword pierced my body, skewering me. The impact forced me to my knees, blood pooling beneath me as I slumped on the altar.
As I lay there, pain radiating from every nerve, a deep sense of regret crept in. Images flashed in my mind—my mother's frail form in the hospital, my sister's worried face, the faces of those I'd tried to protect. Had it all been for nothing?
But amidst the regret, a fierce, unrelenting will ignited within me. I wasn't ready to die. I didn't want to die. Not here. Not like this.
The statues loomed above me, and I realized with a sickening dread that the end was moments away. A statue's sword began to swing downward toward me, its edge glinting as it aimed for my head.
But then, out of nowhere, a notification appeared, hovering before my eyes:
[Congratulations! You have completed the Secret Mission: "Courage of the Weak."]
My heart skipped a beat. My vision blurred, the words on the screen the only clear thing in my fading sight.
The notification continued:
[Would you like to become a Player?]
The question hung in the air. But a second line appeared beneath it, one that sent chills down my spine:
[If you do not accept, your heart will stop in 0.02 seconds and you will die.]
Every instinct screamed for me to choose, to cling to life. My trembling hand reached out, almost on its own, and I thought with every ounce of will I had left:
"Yes."
The notification blinked once more:
[You have chosen to become a Player.]
Relief surged through me, but before I could process what this meant, my consciousness began to slip away. The sound of my heartbeat grew faint, my vision darkened completely, and I was plunged into a deep, unending darkness.
(Flashback No Jutsu Ends)
(Back to Samuel's Perspective)
"When I woke up, I was all alone in the room. The Korean Hunter Guild's inspectors came, told me it's been days since I was found by members of the White Tiger Guild lying on the altar. All my physical injuries were healed."
He leaned forward, looking straight at me. "They thought I was somehow responsible for what happened there. But they didn't get anything out of me. They questioned you too, right?"
"Indeed. Though I wasn't much help. I was the first one to escape, so they barely even remembered to ask me anything," I replied with a shrug.
Then Jin-Woo's expression shifted, from exhaustion to something else—a spark of excitement, even. "Samuel… After I woke up, something happened. Something… not normal."
I gave him a curious look, the sharpness in my eyes returning. "What happened?"
He took a deep breath, like he was about to reveal some buried secret. "I started seeing… windows. Notifications. It's like a game system, but real.
It told me I'd completed a secret mission, and then it asked me if I wanted to become a Player. I thought I was hallucinating at first, but… every time I close my eyes, it's there."
Jin-Woo held out his hand, and a screen blinked into existence, the blue text floating quietly.
I looked at the screen, scrutinizing it. "You're not lying. The workout plan is detailed and efficient."
His jaw dropped. "You can… see it?"
I smirked, shaking my head. "This isn't the first time I've come across something like this. Just like you, I also had some strange encounters while escaping from there."
I scanned the screen's details. "Looks like someone finally forced you to get fit—something I've been trying for years but never quite managed."
Jin-Woo stared at me, stunned. "You've… encountered something like this as well?"
My expression turned serious. "Sort of. I encountered something like this while escaping that double dungeon.
Luckily It was different, it wasn't bloody at all, but it was real… and it was more of an information dump kinda, but it changed many things."
He looked determined. "Then maybe we can work together. If you've dealt with something like this before, maybe you can help me understand it."
I gripped his shoulder firmly. "Of course. There's a lot at stake, and we'll need each other's help."
Author's Note:
Hey everyone! Just a quick update: my main focus is currently my MHA fic, so this new story will have slower updates. But if you're want to read ahead, I've got some special options for you on Patreon!
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