Chapter 126: Unmanned Café (1)
Chapter 126: Unmanned Café (1)
Chapter 126: Unmanned Café (1)
A dark night.
Ryu Mins gaze was fixed on an abandoned warehouse.
From inside, occasional chilling screams could be heard, but Ryu Min just laughed.
After all, they were trash that deserved to die.
The location is well chosen. This place is perfect as a garbage incinerator.
The area was surrounded by mountains and rarely visited by people, making it an ideal place to dispose of bodies.
Moreover, he has just hired the best cleaner in the town.
To be honest, I was half in doubt whether Ma Kyung-rok would listen to my request, but to see him move exactly as I wanted
Ryu Min had asked Ma Kyung-rok to take care of the trash cleaning.
He took the risk of revealing that he knew his secret.
It was a kind of gamble. The moment his secret was revealed, it wouldnt be strange for him to show hostility at any time.
He even thought about fighting Ma Kyung-rok if necessary.
No one would be happy to have their lifelong hidden disgrace uncovered, even if it meant being supplied with black magic power by cleaning human trash.
Thats why he decided to take a direct approach instead.
Many people must have been hypocritical while dealing with Ma Kyung-rok, so he calculated that doing the opposite might work.
But who knew that would actually work. Speaking openly and honestly was a stroke of genius. Strictly speaking, it was me pretending to open up to him.
It was a relief that everything went smoothly.
Well, it wouldnt have been a bad deal for Ma Kyung-rok either.
Even if he couldnt win Ma Kyung-roks heart, he was confident in finding a solution.
He could see 7 seconds into the future, so he could always change to a better direction.
If it didnt work out, he might have ended up fighting Ma Kyung-rok.
Anyway, the trash cleaning is resolved with this.
Ryu Min immediately turned around.
He didnt enter the warehouse even as the screams grew longer, not wanting to disturb Ma Kyung-roks private meal.
He was satisfied just hearing the screams.
Morning, afternoon, evening, dawn, five people each time. Having promised twenty people a day, Ma Kyung-rok should be able to gather enough dark magic energy.
There were 28 days left until the 9th round.
Even if he lured and killed people for all 28 days, he could only dispose of 560 people, but it couldnt be helped.
Any more would be too risky.
An excessive meal would also be burdensome for Ma Kyung-rok, so they agreed to keep it at that level.
What to do with the remaining 471 people
They were going to disappear in the next round anyway.
It would be better to strip them of items before killing them.
Maybe I should take care of those that Ma Kyung-rok cant handle?
With that thought, Ryu Min picked up his phone as he returned home.
He was looking at the murder list sent by Yamti, deciding whom to kill when a familiar name caught his eye.
This person is?
In the quiet night, Ryu Mins eyes shone coldly.
* * *
August.
Its been 8 months since the world began to fall apart.
Many things have happened in what could be considered a short time.
The economy shook, leading to a financial crisis, and the stock prices of all companies plummeted.
Most of the people who were in their 20s, who were a large part of the economic activity, died, a natural consequence.
Store owners hastily replaced them with people in their 30s, but the reality was a shortage of both workers and customers.
Now, part-time jobs can be obtained with just a text message.
Consequently, unmanned convenience stores and even unmanned cafes have increased explosively.
(T/N: An unmanned caf is a coffee shop that operates without the need for staff or employees to be present on-site for it to function.)
Seo Arin and Hong Sun-ah visited one of these unmanned cafes.
Here, Arin. A caramel macchiato with two extra shots, right?
Yeah, thanks.
The world has really improved. Now we can go to unmanned cafes.
You sound like an 80-year-old, you know.
Seo Arin grinned.
Lately, there had been little to smile about.
Just going out with a fellow actor to peacefully chat felt like happiness, given how much the world had changed.
Hell wasnt far away.
It was closer than they thought.
Looking at it now, our main fan base has become the 30s. Since most of the 20s have died.
Ah suddenly bringing up such a depressing topic.
Seo Arin wished time and time again.
That the reality she faced was a lie.
That the survival game of killing and being killed was all just a dream.
Even now, when I return from a round, I think. Could all of this be just a dream? Would the fellow actors I was close with contact me again, smiling as before?
Seo Arin had always been sincere about acting.
She loved her job and enjoyed the chemistry with fellow actors.
She was fortunate to meet Ma Kyung-rok and received support in various ways, leading to a successful career.
A successful life.
But that life was no more.
As the atmosphere quickly darkened, Hong Sun-ah apologized.
Sorry. For bringing up something so gloomy.
Its okay. Its just how things are.
Its hard, isnt it? Wanna start smoking? Maybe even smoke together?
Haha, you make me laugh.
She squeezed a laugh at that joke and sipped her caramel macchiato.
The sweetness entering her mouth made her feel slightly better.
But were better off, arent we? We survived. Because were players.
Thats true.
Im still shocked about Gong seniors death. Who would have thought hed die in the 1st round? And a man at that.
Stats are equal, it doesnt matter if its a man or a woman.
Right, even middle schoolers can exert the same strength as grown-ups, so it doesnt mean much. Now that I think about it, goblins are just trash, right?
Hearing her fellow actor curse, Seo Arin scolded her.
Even if there are no people around, you must watch your language.
What does it matter? Its part of my charm, isnt it? The fans wouldnt know anyway.
Hong Sun-ah smirked, raising her nose.
There was no one else around them in the unmanned cafe.
Theres also this advantage since there are no people. We can walk around without hiding our faces.
But our income has decreased.
Thats true. But in this situation, is income really the problem? Survival is the top priority.
She wasnt wrong, so Seo Arin listened in silence.
What could be more important than survival in the current situation?
Arin, youre lucky. You have a good job for surviving.
Ah, you mean my summons?
Yes. I heard its like a cheat job. Golems tank for you, fairies cast protective shields, and after level 20, fairies even help in combat. They jump in like slaves to do everything for you. Im jealous, so jealous.
Your job isnt bad either.
Me? No. Im just a bit stronger, but assassination turned out to be a common job. Invisibility is a skill, but its useless.
Why? It can be used during combat, right?
Thats true. But its not very useful in battle. One attack and its gone. The cooldown is long too. Its basically for survival when in danger.
Thats good then. Theres nothing as important as survival.
Thats true. But in reality, there arent many dangerous situations, right? Its awkward to use. Im not a stalker, and robbing a bank is useless nowadays because theyve taken measures.
The cafe also has a sign that only card payments are allowed. Are they scared of players stealing cash?
Sun-ah, youre not seriously thinking about this, are you?
You think Im an idiot? Why would I make such a ridiculous thought? Anyway, you cant even distinguish between a joke and seriousness.
Despite the scolding, Seo Arin just smiled warmly.
Considering their friendship from working on several projects together, even this chit-chat was enjoyable.
After all, she was the only actor friend who had survived.
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