Chapter 29: Park Ye-na, Year 2 Class A (5)
The underground fighting ring was filled with illegality, violence, and greed.
And Yoo jin was the one feeling it most acutely.
The center of the fighting ring.
The battlefield where only Goblins were originally supposed to stand.
The view from there was nothing short of hell.
Even more so than the scene he looked down upon from the second floor when he first entered the fighting ring.
This was because he could see things more clearly from here.
The empty eyes fixed only on the fighting ring.
“What are you doing! Hurry up and start the next match!”
“We just recovered! Hurry up with the next match!”
“Bring out the Goblins!”
“What are the managers doing! Do you know how much money I’ve spent?!”
“Kill that guy too!”
The madness of the gamblers surrounding the fighting ring was vividly captured in Yoo jin’s eyes.
Silence had fallen due to Yoo jin’s shout, but it was only for a moment.
People soaked in dopamine at the end of madness.
Yoo jin shook his head left and right.
He definitely came here for a home visit.
The problem would have been solved if he had quietly dragged Ye-na’s father out.
However.
“Hoo...”
Yoo jin exhaled a breath between the murderous stares and rough voices.
He simply couldn’t pass by.
Yoo jin’s gaze landed on the Goblins.
The Goblin that just ended its life, and the Goblin staring blankly at him.
Though they were the lowest rank, what he saw was clearly a monster.
He wasn’t trying to have a philosophical discussion about whether monsters have life or existence.
Regardless of the standpoint, it was undeniable that monsters and humans were beings who killed each other.
“Hey, gamblers. As a teacher, no, as someone who has made mistakes before, let me tell you something.”
His serene eyes took in the countless empty eyes.
Life is a matter where good and evil change as easily as flipping a palm, depending on the standpoint.
Those people must have had their own reasons.
But.
No matter what those reasons were.
There was a line that people should not cross.
There was a limit.
“No matter how much you bet here, and how much money you earn. There will never be a smile at the end of the path you are walking.”
Even if they were lucky and walked out having won money.
Even if they instantly gained ten years’ worth of salary in a single day.
“If you have a mirror, look at your face once. Can you say you are truly alive right now?”
They would never be satisfied until they died.
And they would come back again.
Like hungry ghosts wandering around for food that cannot be satisfied.
No matter how much wealth they amassed, and even if happiness was right beside them.
They would never recognize it.
Like grains of sand slipping through their fingers, they would fail to grasp happiness and spend their entire lives in this pit.
Therefore.
“Snap out of it.”
Yoo jin looked at the gamblers one by one as he spoke.
To these people who all looked different but had the same eyes.
To those whose souls had disappeared.
And toward the father of his student, who was somewhere among them.
He spoke with sincerity.
Well, that is to say.
He only spoke.
“Drag him out!”
“Hurry up and start the next match!”
“We could have had one more match in this time!”
Despite Yoo jin’s sincerity, the gamblers’ jeers and madness only grew louder.
“Ha... In movies, the atmosphere suddenly chills, and a few people drop their betting slips and cry.”
Life really doesn’t go as planned.
Yoo jin sighed and shook his head.
Well, if they were the type of people who would turn back with just a few words, they would have already turned back at the words of their own families.
Yoo jin definitely believed in the power of words, but he also knew that some things simply could not be achieved with words alone.
Screeech!!
A door on one side of the fighting ring began to open.
And then, the electronic scoreboard started to light up.
[New event]
Below the text, Yoo jin's face and the faces of Goblins filled the screen.
Not just one, but the faces of countless Goblins.
That is, the faces of about 50 Goblins entering the fighting ring through the door.
“Waaaaah!”
“Yes! Kill him!”
“What are the odds!”
The atmosphere was instantly flipped.
Life began to return to the faces of the gamblers who had been expressing rage.
“......”
Goblins armed with weapons were slowly approaching Yoo jin.
Whether they were trained.
Or whether they knew what they had to do to survive.
The Goblins moved.
And every time they moved.
The voices of the gamblers rang out.
It became louder.
And more vibrant.
But only one person.
Yoo jin simply wore a blank expression.
And looked only at the electronic scoreboard.
“......”
The managers’ move was spurred by the gamblers’ voices.
It might be a natural course of action.
But because of this.
Yoo jin recalled once again.
‘That some things simply cannot be achieved with words alone.’
And the place he learned that was the other world.
Step.
Step.
The 100 years he had spent there.
That is to say.
The real hell they couldn’t even imagine.
Thud!
The moment Yoo jin raised his hand.
“Kiiik.”
“Kiiigigi......”
The approximately 50 Goblins instantly knelt down.
Like animals gripped by fear.
Like people begging for their lives.
Like subjects who didn't want to catch the king's eye.
The Goblins bowed their heads.
Bladed weapons like swords lay scattered on the ground.
And Yoo jin's voice rang out.
The voice was aimed not at the Goblins, but elsewhere.
“I won’t say it’s entirely your fault. There were people who made this place and people who enjoyed it. But listen.”
The gamblers, who had been shouting so loud they seemed ready to break the fence in their frenzy, froze instantly like stones.
“Do you know the difference between a student and an adult? An adult only does things they can take responsibility for. And they have to bear that responsibility themselves.”
Yoo jin could say this because he was someone who had borne that responsibility more than anyone else.
“So, take the responsibility you’ve been putting off until now, and bear it properly, starting now.”
No sooner had he finished the sentence.
Orange Demonic Energy began to surge around Yoo jin’s body.
The Demonic Energy, which covered Yoo jin's body like an aura, spread wide, and soon enveloped the entire fighting ring.
“Ugh...”
“I can’t breathe...”
The gamblers began to complain of pain.
They could barely move their lips, their expressions and bodies completely immobilized.
The entire illegal fighting ring instantly fell silent.
As if it had become a different space.
“This is as far as you go. It seems right for you to be judged by the laws of the country, not by me.”
Yoo jin slowly moved his head.
Toward a specific spot on the second floor with the panoramic window.
“As for you...”
The electronic scoreboard screen was still visible.
[new event]
There is a line in the world that should not be crossed.
But just now.
Those managers crossed that line.
“You’ll receive your lesson from me.”
Yoo jin's body slowly moved.
Towards the place where the managers were.
***
“Oh my gosh, you scared me!”
Kei, who was moving through the gamblers on the first floor, flinched.
“Ugh... I can’t breathe...”
One gambler was reaching out his hand, drooling.
Kei, regaining his composure, checked the gambler’s face here and there.
“What is it? Why is he like this?”
“It looks like he can’t breathe.”
“It seems like the other men, not just this one, are like that too.”
Jin-ho and Ye-na, who were behind Kei, spoke up.
“Why are they all acting like this? Did these guys take drugs or something?”
Before Kei’s gaze could shift to the gambler’s arm, Jin-ho continued.
“Maybe it’s because of Teacher?”
“Because of the Teacher?”
“Teacher seemed really angry after the Goblins came out.”
“Has that human ever not been angry?”
“......”
“......”
Jin-ho and Ye-na’s eyes narrowed into a straight line.
“Why are you looking at me like that...”
“Your speech got short because Teacher disappeared, didn’t it?”
“You sound aggressive too.”
“When did I...”
“Oh, Teacher is back?”
“Heeek!! O-Oh, no, I wasn't!”
Kei’s body stiffened.
Jin-ho and Ye-na gave Kei a smirk.
Kei cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head.
“Kids these days are cunning, I swear.”
Kei clicked his tongue once, pushed the gambler blocking his way aside, and moved forward.
“But is your dad really here? He’s not on the second floor, and we’ve almost gone through the entire first floor.”
At Kei’s voice, Jin-ho, who was following right behind, turned his head to look at Ye-na.
“He will be here. This is the only place left.”
Jin-ho and Kei exchanged glances and let out a low sigh.
“But this is the last part of the first floor too...”
Kei stopped mid-sentence.
It was partly because Ye-na’s expression had changed, but also because the child who had been following well had stopped walking.
Kei put force into his eyes and turned his head toward where Ye-na’s gaze was fixed.
A man was visible.
A man who, like the other gamblers, was suffering because he couldn't breathe well.
Yet, he was still clutching the betting machine used only in this place.
He looked at the man wearing a dirty, blue button-down shirt.
“This must be the father.”
Kei’s brow furrowed.
All the gamblers here were the same, but some were definitely memorable.
The man right in front of him was one such person.
Although Kei mostly served as a gatekeeper disguised as a cafe employee, he remembered this man clearly.
He was the kind of person who was reluctant to buy a glass of water.
Yet, he was a human who showed his face here almost every day for three years.
“......”
Kei let out a long breath and moved his head toward Ye-na.
He saw Ye-na’s hand trembling.
Despite that.
“Go ahead.”
He spoke.
Well, his job would be over once he found the parent for them.
And only then could he escape from that monstrous teacher.
And also.
Seeing the child shed large tears the moment she saw him.
He felt something strange.
It wasn’t regret or guilt.
Those were luxuries he had long abandoned.
For a long time, he had gone to sleep thinking, ‘I’m going to hell,’ every night.
He was just.
Kei slowly pushed Ye-na’s back.
“You came all this way. Holding back here would feel different.”
He had never seen anyone go to this length.
He was simply curious what would happen next.
And so.
Ye-na nodded and slowly moved her steps toward her father.
He might just be Gambler 1 here.
But to Ye-na, he was her only father.
He was family.
Drenching the ground with every step, Ye-na approached her father.
Step.
Step.
The heavy footsteps continued.
And Ye-na arrived right in front of her father.
“Dad, I’m he...”
“Get out of the way!”
Before Ye-na's voice could reach her father.
Someone's shadow covered Ye-na.
***
“Brother! Please avoid it!”
“Ugh!”
The underground illegal fighting ring.
The manager’s office located on the second floor.
Screams were rampant there.
Crack!
A sickening sound along with them.
“My arm!!”
One organization member, clutching his arm, collapsed to the floor.
And the eyes of his comrades, who witnessed it, shook violently.
“Where did this monster come from?”
“Who are you! Tell us the truth! Who sent you!”
Fear heavily filled the eyes of the Karma organization members managing the Namyangju branch of the illegal fighting ring.
Every single one of them was an Awakener.
And most of them were wanted criminals with criminal records.
People with substantial bounties on their heads.
Yet.
“D-Don’t come any closer.”
They were stepping backward.
All because of a single man.
Yoo jin was advancing with an expression he had never once worn in front of the children.
“You commit deeds like this, and you haven’t prepared to lose an arm, have you?”
“This crazy bastard...”
“Who sent you! Answer me!”
The organization members blocking Yoo jin’s path began to raise their Mana.
Just then.
“Wait.”
A voice rang out from the back.
At the sound, the organization members blocking Yoo jin split to both sides.
An individual sitting on a sofa came into Yoo jin’s view.
A man protected by organization members with shaved heads on both sides.
It was clear at a glance that this guy was the boss of this place.
“You must be the manager here.”
“That is correct. Code Name Zero. An executive of the Karma organization, and the manager of the Namyangju branch of this underground illegal fighting ring.”
“Zero... that’s better than those guys named Q and J from before.”
“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m very intrigued by you. I never expected someone to storm in here all by themselves.”
“I’m not alone. I brought two students.”
“Students? Ah, you mentioned there were young students with you... What exactly is your identity?”
“A teacher.”
“A teac—cher? Did I hear you wrong? If you’re a teacher...”
“The teacher you’re thinking of is right.”
No sooner had Yoo jin finished speaking than the shaved-head subordinate next to Zero shouted.
“Stop the bullsh*t and answer properly!”
“Why would a teacher come here! Which organization sent you!”
Tap.
When Zero raised his hand, the momentum of the shaved-head subordinates instantly broke.
“If you don’t intend to reveal your identity, I can’t force you. However, you must take responsibility. The loss to the business due to you is quite significant.”
“Why does everyone I meet refuse to believe me? Do I not look like a teacher at all?”
“It’s not that you don’t look like a teacher. But would you believe it? If someone stormed in alone, caused this much trouble, and then claimed to be a teacher?”
“Because I’m a teacher, I do things like this. Who else would do this? At a gambling den.”
“Hahahaha! That’s true. I’ve been in the gambling business for a long time, but I’ve never seen anyone like you. The only people who come here are gamblers who have sold their souls, or guys like us who suck those souls dry.”
“I don’t want to be asked the same question again, so I’m telling you, I really am a teacher. I wasn’t sent by another organization, and I’m not from the government. I just came for a home visit because my student’s father is here.”
“Well, your identity doesn’t matter now. I’ll believe you even if you’re a real teacher. And I’ll believe you even if you’re not. I’ve become quite interested in you after a long time. So I have a proposition for you...”
Zero rose from his seat.
“Work with me.”
Zero’s voice made the expressions of the organization members, and Yoo jin’s face, all look the same.
“What?”
“Exactly as you heard. I’ve never seen anyone like you. I never thought there would be someone who would talk to the gamblers like that. Your unwavering eyes and mental fortitude. And the military strength to take down this many of my subordinates alone. I’m fascinated by you.”
Zero smiled as he looked at Yoo jin.
“Of course, I’m not doing this without any conditions. I will talk to the higher-ups and give you an executive position. You certainly deserve it.”
The atmosphere sank instantly.
It was hard to believe this was a place where combat had just occurred and screams were rampant.
“Wait, wait. I almost slipped up. What are you talking about? I don’t need that position. A teacher as a gambling den executive? That’s nonsense. Stop saying strange things and hurry up and attack. I don’t have time. I still have a lot to talk about with my student’s dad.”
Yoo jin waved his hand, rejecting the offer.
At his gesture, Zero fondled his chin, then gave a look to the subordinate next to him.
Immediately, the shaved-head subordinate leaned close to Zero’s ear and whispered softly.
Zero nodded and raised the corner of his mouth as he looked at Yoo jin.
“I knew you wouldn’t accept the offer easily. Then let’s do this. I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse. Because I have to have everything I want.”
Zero signaled somewhere with his eyes.
Yoo jin, confirming the meaning of the signal, shifted his gaze in that direction.
“......”
“I’ll ask you once more. Work with me. If you don’t... those children will lose their lives.”
Behind Zero’s voice, the electronic scoreboard was visible.
It showed the image of the collapsed Kei and Ye-na and Jin-ho clutching him and crying.
The image of the organization members surrounding them was also visible.
A smile spread across the lips of Zero and the organization members, who were pleased by Yoo jin's calmed demeanor.
The smile of a victor.
Just then.
Yoo jin, his expression gone.
Tap-tap.
Raised his right hand and tapped his ear twice.
Immediately, a thin stick appeared in Yoo jin's hand.
“Hahaha! What is that? Since you said you’re a teacher, is that a switch?”
“Hahahaha!”
Laughter from the organization members rang out behind Zero’s voice.
“The more I see you, the more I want you. But I should give you time to think, right?”
“......”
“Will 10 seconds be enough? I think 10 seconds is just enough to get through the execution ceremony of a traitor.”
Zero, wearing a nasty smile, gestured with his chin, and the small voice of the shaved-head subordinate rang out.
“Kill him.”
The screen filling the electronic scoreboard.
The hand of one organization member in a black suit was seen raised high.
Along with a blood-stained sword.
“Hey.”
A low voice rang out.
Zero’s face, which had been full of an unpleasant, cocky smile, vanished.
And simultaneously, in that place.
No.
To be precise, all sensation vanished throughout the entire underground fighting ring.
“You crossed the line again. I don’t give a second chance. Extend...”
Yoo jin looked at the stick in his hand and spoke.
“The Compliant Rod.”