ยฉNovelBuddy
Reincarnator-Chapter 18: Altar (3)
โI will give you a solutionโ
And then Hansoo started to count.
15 from the bottom.
โOne, Two, Three.. fifteen like this. These fifteen people are the weakestโ
โWhat?โ ๐ณ๐โฏe๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐.๐๐๐ข
The fifteen who had been chosen made a blank expression for a moment and then shouted in despair.
โNo way!โ
โThough I have more runes then him?โ
But Hansoo shook his head.
He could guess who would win and who would lose at a glance.
It would differ slightly depending on the condition but even if you take all of that into consideration, the people who would go in were rather obvious.
And at Hansooโs pointings, joy and sorrow were shown.
The fifteen who were chosen showed rage and felt wronged.
And the fifteen who werenโt chosen let out a sigh of relief because they could save runes.
And in Hansooโs words the man shouted in despair.
โYou bitch! Youโre the same! How dare you throw us off because weโre weak! And those bastards over there throw lives away because a of a few runes!โ
Hansoo stopped his steps.
โHmm. It seems you are mistaken about somethingโ
Then Hansoo spoke as he scratched his head.
โYou donโt get thrown off because youโre weak. If you are weak you simply canโt follow up with others. Nothing to do with being thrown offโ
โ...โ
โWhat were you doing whilst everybody was running? It doesnโt matter whether you rested or did something else but you need to take all responsibility for it in this placeโ
Those words were driven into everyoneโs words.
And that they all realized at the same time.
That they had really entered a screwed up world.
It wasnโt like the modern society where you had a chance of bouncing back if you fail and fall behind others.
No, it was actually much more cruel.
Since that fairy thing came out from time to time and tries to cut off the tail which was falling behind.
If you do not want to be cut off, you need to run fanatically.
They had to realize this within the 1st tutorial area.
That this was a world where you needed to be greedy in order to survive.
If you are greedy you will probably receive the curses of others but you will gain the rights to survive during a decisive moment.
Like this situation.
โDamnit! Damnit!โ
The manโs voice of despair could be heard behind the disappearing back of Hansoo.
But Hansoo spoke quietly.
โListen till the end. Iโm not telling you to go in there.โ
โWhat?โ
Then was there a different solution?
The man looked at Hansoo with a expression full of hope.
Then Hansoo nodded his head.
โThe fifteen will borrow the runes from others. Two of strength and stamina each. And then give it to me.โ
โHmm...โ
โAnd hunt during the remaining 72 hours in order to pay the runes back to themโ
Everyone nodded after pondering for a moment
There was nothing to lose.
Even the people who were left out were feeling a bit off because of the thoughts of throwing in fifteen people alive into that altar but if this new method were to be followed they had nothing to lose so everything was solved.
And of course in the fifteen peopleโs situation, hunting monsters to pay back the runes is better then going into the monsterโs mouth as food.
Since it wasnโt that hard to collect 2 strength and 2 stamina runes in three days.
But then one person mumbled as if he felt he was mistreated.
Because then only these fifteen had to pay the runes.
โ...Isnโt that unfair then? 1 per person is fairโ
But then Hansoo shrugged his shoulders
โBut the one who will be going in is you, you know? Why would the remaining 45 pay?โ
โ...โ
The man who had spoken before shut his mouth at these words but somebody else spoke up as if he felt the greed rising up.
โBut then why are we paying them if you are the one getting the runes? Isnโt the one who is taking the 60 runes you in the end?โ
Hansoo nodded his head.
โI donโt have a hobby in free public service. I canโt force you to do it. This simply a suggestion Iโm giving to the fifteen people. What I suggested isnโt the correct solution nor is it the perfect solution. Iโm just giving a suggestion on what I think is the best solution. If you donโt think you will be within the 15 people or feel pressured by this choice, I will just come back in 3 days.โ
He could probably gather up 30 runes if he hunted.
The man quieted down at those words.
Because if Hansoo did leave, he would be thrown inside that altar.
โYou need to at least be able to pay for the price of your lifeโ
Another person asked as soon as Hansoo finished talking.
It was the woman who was arguing with the man from before.
โWait! What happens if the ones we lend the runes to canโt muster up the courage to hunt and cannot pay back? Then weโre losing out on runes.โ
The fifteen people were weak because they had no courage to hunt.
They might not be able to return the rune within the next 3 days.
Hansoo replied very simply.
โWhat are you worrying about? Just chase them down during the night and take it from them. If it still isnโt enough after that then come to me. I will compensate youโ
โ...โ
He needed to set up rules but rules that would even apply to the ones who canโt keep promises or take responsibility were not needed.
Since he hadnโt come to preach to them about social welfare.
Everyone made a scared expression at those words.
Because they realized that they couldnโt laze around from now on.
But at the same time everybody made a content face.
Because it was solved without anybody dying in the end.
โThereโs one hour left. Letโs start now.โ
Everyone started to gather up the runes at those words.
..............................
[Kang Hansoo]
Strength: 84.3
Stamina: 85.8
Agility: 42.1
Perception: 42.2
Mana: 22
Magic resistance: 13
Hansoo nodded whilst looking at his Strength and Stamina that had risen by exactly 30.
โThe balance has been destroyed but thereโs nothing I can do about thatโ
To be honest, even though you lose out a bit it is better to balance out your stats by trading runes around.
But this was an exception.
Hansoo knew instinctively by simply looking at the Carnivorous Monster.
With his current runes, his attacks wouldnโt work properly.
He needed to get his strength over 100.
And he needed the stamina to follow up the increased strength.
Agility and perception was lacking but he would compensate for that with his experiences and battle skills.
โIt seems Iโll use a ton of these cloud snacksโ
In order to go over 100, he will probably need to constantly use the cloud snack that increased his stats by 20%.
โBut itโs good that itโs an environment where I can fight alone.โ
Usually, even Hansoo preferred hunting in groups.
Since in reality the hunting speed was slightly faster when he hunted with Taesoon before.
But the situation was different.
If there are others it becomes disadvantageous.
No matter how many there were, their attacks wouldnโt work against the monster and the monster will regenerate its health after devouring the people.
If that guy was released it wouldโve been quite a headache.
When Hansoo was about to start heading towards the Altar in the distance, somebody approached him.
โHansoo, Mihee. Itโs been a while.โ
โSangjin...โ
Mihee made a happy expression, stopped, then stole a glance at Hansoo.
Hansoo was looking at Sangjin with a impenitent expression.
โSince Taesoon isnโt here anymore, letโs be together. You too Mihee.โ
Hansoo shook his head at those words.
But Sangjin didnโt give up and tried to approach him.
โIsnโt it better being with us? With friends?โ
Hansoo stared at Sangjin expressionlessly.
โOnce we part, we need to go separate waysโ
Hansoo had no thoughts of cutting off their relationship because they didnโt want to follow him when he went into a dangerous place.
Since being weak wasnโt a sin and he had no confidence in keeping them safe.
But you canโt become friends with somebody who is always looking for chances as they follow you and then leave because things get dangerous.
This was a problem before strength came into play.
No, being stronger was actually more of a problem.
Since he canโt show his back to them with trust.
There wonโt be a reason to see each other again.
โHeโs too much...โ
Sangjin lost his determination from Hansooโs attitude and made a dejected expression.
Whilst that was going on, Mihee spoke to Hansoo after pondering for a moment.
โIโll stay here then.โ
Hansoo nodded his head.
โThatโs not a bad choice,โ
Mihee had a bitter expression from Hansooโs words which he didnโt ponder over.
Since it felt mean that he didnโt realize her crush on him and had accepted her choice.
โI want to go with him but...โ
She realized as she hunted with Hansoo over a few days.
The gap was growing larger as they went on.
And Hansoo was dashing off at a crazy pace. The hunting grounds were limited and she was able to follow up because she could hunt in these places but she had no confidence in fighting against that monster no matter what.
And in the area they move to after killing that beast, it would be even harder to catch up to him.
So she had to choose around now.
Companions around her level.
If she followed Hansoo like this, and then becomes thrown off after the tutorial area then she will be alone.
If that happens then it would be better to move as a six by becoming a comrade of five people.
โAnd itโs better to split up nowโ
She understood Hansooโs standards whilst fighting roughly.
If she ran away while fighting because things got dangerous then their relationship will be cut off. Like the five in front of her eyes.
But if they split up now, Hansoo wouldnโt ruthlessly cut her off when he sees her later.
Hansoo just didnโt trust in opportunists, it wasnโt that he didnโt didnโt like somebody who knew when to stay out and when to stick around.
โThough itโs a little bit regrettableโ
She thought about it before for a short moment.
If she became a couple with this man then wouldnโt she be able to be with him for a very long time.
Since Hansoo wasnโt the type of person who would throw off his lover.
But she knew after observing for a moment.
โThere is no space in Hansooโs head for a lover to fit inโ
So cleanly split up now and then aim for the next chance.
โJust wait. I havenโt given up yet.โ
Mihee put down her decisions and walked towards Sangjin.
And Hansoo laughed as he watched that.
The five others might be a bit different but he could meet Mihee in the future whilst laughing.
Sangjin didnโt know how to act after watching this scene from happiness.
He was happy to the point where the depression from being rejected by Hansoo almost disappeared.
Mihee didnโt choose Hansoo but his side instead.
Didnโt this mean that his side was more trustworthy.
Mihee was extremely fast to catch onto things.
She had judged that he had better potential than Hansoo.
โYeah. Iโm still improving. I just never had the chances to do soโ
Sangjin, who had laughed out loud, thanked Taesoon who was probably in the netherworld by now.
โPark Taesoon. I must really thank youโ
A girl who he wouldnโt even be able to talk to usually had chosen him.
And in his group there were three girls even if you disregard Gangtaeโs girlfriend Jisun.
He felt like he would fly threw the skies from the feeling as if he had set up a Harem.
This was all due to Taesoon.
The only reason why he was able to come this far was he filled the empty space after Taesoon had died.
Sunmi, who was standing behind Sangjin, watched him pathetically.
โSeriously. I have to trust this retard and follow him around.โ
Would Mihee have not been able to distinguish between and sports car and a trash car and came here.
She had only come here because she thought she didnโt have the ability to drive around the sports car.
โWell thatโs that.โ
Sunmi decided to let go of past issues.
Since Sangjin and Mihee were the strongest of the six, no, strongest of the mob.
If you donโt account for Hansoo then these guys are the two tops.
And the four of them were also part of the strongest if you donโt count in Hansoo.
If they travel together then they wouldnโt have any difficult times for a while.
And even more so since Mihee probably learned a lot of things from Hansoo.
Whilst Sunmi was making such thoughts, Sangjin was watching Hansoo and not Mihee.
โAm I not good enough yetโ
Sangjin made a regrettable expression as he saw Hansooโs back as he walked towards the altar.
He was trying so hard to become a friend but Hansoo didnโt even care about him.
Shouldnโt he at least try to do something together.
Unlike Mihee, he was simply just hitting a wall.
โSomething... I have to show him something moreโ
It was because he was still weak.
Since he wasnโt a beauty like Mihee so he needed to show something more to Hansoo. A deciding factor.
But then at that moment somebody called Sangjin.
โHey friend. Could we talk for a moment?โ
โ...Who could it be.โ
When Sangjin went over there, a few people were standing there.
โThese people are...โ
These guys were the ones who were speaking aloud during the debate before.
The ones who represented the strong, and the real top rankers if you donโt count for him and his friends.
โIโm called Suyeol. Youโre the leader of those friends over there right?โ
โThe leader?โ
Sangjinโs face blushed for a moment from the words of the thirty-something man, he then answered shyly.
โWeโre all friends so ehh. But for now theyโre listening to me wellโ
โOh. Niceโ
As Suyeol raised his thumb at him, Sangjin giggled from being happy.
Suyeol chuckled at Sangjin acting like that and then continued his words.
โThen are you friends with that guy called Hansoo over there too?โ
Sangjin pondered for a moment and then nodded.
โOf courseโ
โWeโre friends. Yeah friends.โ
Suyeol, who had confirmed up to that point, made a satisfied expression as he spoke.
โYeah? Then I have something a proposal for you, shall we talk for a bit?โ
He said whilst stealing a glance at Hansoo who was walking towards the altar.
Sangjin pondered for a moment but then followed him shortly after nodding his head.