SSEI | Chapter 1.6

“The blue door leads to the medical ward. Like the rules said, healing here is free. And if you start the next round with injuries, you’ll be at a disadvantage. So even if you’re only a little hurt, make sure to get checked out.”

“That light green door is the library—though, calling it a library is kind of misleading. There aren’t any books, just records of past matches and weapon info. Since you’re new, you’ll probably want to study up. It’ll help you out later.”

Yuan tried his best to focus on Lork’s explanations, but his thoughts kept drifting.

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It wasn’t that the information was boring or unnecessary—Lork was being incredibly helpful, telling him exactly what he needed to know.

But something else kept nagging at him.

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“Lork is helpful, but he has a habit of putting off important things.”

That was what the others had said.

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And if that was true… was Lork still avoiding the most important issue right now?

The layout of the Sanctuary was useful. The cafeteria and medical ward were important.

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But there was something way more urgent that they hadn’t addressed yet.

“…Hey, Lork.”

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“Yeah?”

“As long as we’re in this space, no matter what happens to us, we won’t truly die, right?”

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“Yeah, I just explained that to you.”

Lork gave him a puzzled look, as if wondering why he was bringing it up again.

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Yuan hesitated. He really didn’t want to ask this. He wanted to pretend he didn’t need to know. But deep down, he knew he had to ask.

Taking a deep breath, he forced the words out.

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“…Then that man. The one who killed us. He’s immortal too, isn’t he?”

“Ah… I was going to tell you that a bit later.”

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Yuan felt a cold realization creep up his spine. I really screwed up.

Lork’s awkwardly frozen smile only confirmed that Yuan’s instincts were right.

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The words from that paper earlier drifted through his mind.

“Get along with others. Resolve conflicts with conversation and compromise.”

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At first, it had sounded like meaningless fluff. But now, it was starting to feel like a lifeline.

Because what was the point of violence in a world where nobody stayed dead?

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“So… he’ll revive here too. And he’ll be completely fine in the next round.”

“Yeah, same as everyone else.” Lork scratched the back of his head. “Uh, Yuan, don’t freak out, okay? Remember, violence is banned here—”

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“But we have to leave this place when the match starts, don’t we?” Yuan’s voice wavered. “I… I seriously didn’t know this would happen. It was my last chance, you know? I just wanted to make it count before I died.”

If he had known his opponent would come back, completely unharmed, he definitely wouldn’t have blasted him in the groin with a laser.

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Sure, since the match had ended, that man’s body had probably been restored.

But what about his pride?

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That might have taken permanent damage.

And considering how widely the rumor had spread, it was definitely going to be a problem.

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Everyone knows what I did to him. If he finds out people are talking about it… am I screwed?!

At the time, Yuan had prayed that, if nothing else, the mental scars of that attack would last forever.

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Now, he regretted it more than anything.

What if that guy was furious?

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Yuan’s face drained of color. He started pacing anxiously, muttering to himself. Lork, seeing his growing panic, let out an awkward chuckle and tried to reassure him.

“It’ll be fine. Seriously. The Red Man isn’t the type to care about that stuff… Well. Not in a good way. More like, he’s a complete asshole to everyone equally, so he probably won’t take it personally.”

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“…Wait. Red Man? That’s his name?”

“He doesn’t remember his real one, so that’s what people call him.”

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Yuan blinked. “So, there are people here who don’t remember their own names?”

“Yeah, actually, a lot of them. Some people forget their name but remember something important about their past or a personal goal. Others only remember their name and nothing else.”

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“That’s… complicated.”

Yuan frowned. “So you and I fall into the second category?”

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“Pretty much. When I first got here, all I could remember was my name.”

Lork shrugged. “Anyway, whether you call him Red Man or Red One, everyone knows who you’re talking about.”

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Yuan grumbled to himself. What a ridiculous name.

Sure, his eyes were red, but aside from that, the guy was dressed in all black.

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Shouldn’t he be called Black Man instead?

Giving someone such a lazy, uninspired name—was that really allowed? How does a person just get called ‘Red Man’?

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Yuan found himself caught up in an oddly misplaced sense of disappointment. But really, that was the least of his problems right now.

Lork cleared his throat and steered the conversation back on track.

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“Anyway, here’s what I’m trying to say—Red Man was already infamous. He’s ruthless to his enemies, sure, but even worse, he’s a total nightmare to his own partners. Nobody in this game actually likes him. Even if you hadn’t, uh… done what you did to him, he still would’ve messed with you. You get what I’m saying?”

Yuan wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but he gave an uncertain nod.

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If even in a game like this—where killing was just a part of the process—this guy had managed to build a reputation for being that awful, then yeah, he was probably genuinely unpleasant.

After all, there was a difference between killing to survive and killing just because you feel like it.

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Even those people gossiping earlier had mentioned how nasty his temper was. Yuan wasn’t sure how much he trusted their judgment, but when combined with Lork’s explanation, it didn’t seem like an exaggeration.

But knowing that didn’t comfort him at all.

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In fact, it only made him more terrified.

“That doesn’t mean I can relax! What if he hates me now? What if, out of everyone, he makes it a personal mission to go after me first?” Yuan clutched his head in panic. “Lork, what am I supposed to do? There has to be a way out of this, right?”

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“Uh… well, I feel kind of responsible, so I’d like to help, but…” Lork tilted his head with an apologetic smile. “Other than escaping as soon as possible… I don’t really see a way around it?”

Escaping was technically the best solution.

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But realistically? That wasn’t happening anytime soon.

Yuan barely understood the game’s rules, and his survival skills were nonexistent. He wasn’t some skilled fighter who could claw his way to the top and win on his own. If only it were that simple.

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The more he thought about it, the more his nerves twisted into a knot.

That man was somewhere inside this Sanctuary right now.

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Wandering around.

Breathing the same air.

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Waiting for the next round—just like him.

And if he was the type to kill so easily before, how much worse would he be toward the one who had humiliated him?

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I need a plan.

The urgency of the situation weighed on him. Yuan needed to figure out something—anything—to avoid ending up in that man’s path again.

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“…What if we move more slowly in the next round?” Yuan suddenly suggested. “He’s ridiculously fast, right? But if we take our time, maybe we won’t run into him as often?”

“Huh?” Lork blinked. “Oh—wait, actually, that reminds me. There’s something important I need to tell you—”

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“Can it wait?” Yuan interrupted. “I just need to get my thoughts together first.”

Lork hesitated for a moment, then sighed, clearly realizing that Yuan wasn’t in the right state of mind to listen.

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Yuan was too wrapped up in his own anxieties to notice.

It was hard to focus on anything else when his brain was busy calculating every possible way to not get murdered.

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“Look, considering there are fifty people out there at the same time, the world outside must be huge, right?” Yuan continued, mostly talking to himself now. “So the chances of running into him again might not even be that high…”

“Well, yeah, but… Yuan, listen to me for a second. I really, really need to tell you something important right now.”

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“Just a moment—if I focus on avoiding him as much as possible… No, wait. That won’t work if we run into him anyway. Maybe I should figure out a way to exploit his weaknesses? But then that would make dealing with other threats harder…”

“I get why you’re scared, but please, just hear me out! Hey! Hey!”

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“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you don’t get dragged into this, Lork! No matter what happens, this is my problem!”

“And because this is your problem, I’m trying to explain something to you before it’s too late! Just let me talk! About the team thing—!”

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Lork shook Yuan by the shoulders in frustration, but it didn’t seem to help. Yuan was too lost in his frantic overthinking to register any of it.

At least, he was—

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Until someone else arrived to stop him.

Whether it was lucky or unlucky, that was up for debate.

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“Wait, this isn’t just a problem after we leave! What if I run into him inside the Sanctuary? There’s a penalty for violence, but still—”

“…Well. I guess you two can work that out right now.”

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“…What?”

Lork let out a long, exhausted sigh and pointed behind Yuan.

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A terrible feeling crawled up his spine.

Slowly—very slowly—he turned around.

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And immediately collapsed onto the floor.

“W-wha—huh…?”

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The silhouette was unmistakable.

Deep, impossibly dark—black as a living shadow, yet dense and heavy, like a weight crushing down on the atmosphere itself.

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The last time Yuan had seen him, it had been under the blood-red sky of the wasteland. He had thought that the setting had made him seem even more terrifying, the whole world drenched in crimson.

But now, even under the warm daylight pouring through the Sanctuary’s windows, he still looked ominous. The light didn’t soften him—it only made his presence feel wrong.

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Like he didn’t belong here.

Like he had been forced into this space, an oil slick on the surface of water, unable to mix with its surroundings.

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He wasn’t someone who rested in a place like this. He was someone who wandered forever—through wastelands, through forests—never escaping, just killing and killing again.

W-why…?

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Yuan couldn’t breathe.

The Red Man stood there, looking almost exactly the same as the last time Yuan had seen him.

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Expression unreadable.

Eyes fixed directly on him.

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Why—why did it have to be now?!

Yuan instinctively backed away.

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It wasn’t the same as the strange, unexplainable pull he had felt back in the wasteland.

This was something primal.

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Something absolute.

Something that told him to run.

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Yuan scrambled for excuses, trying to convince himself. “Let’s just run away for now, talk it out later when things have calmed down a bit.”

But things didn’t go his way. Just as he hurriedly got to his feet, something forcefully shoved him from behind.

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“It’d probably be better if I left the explaining to that guy instead. Damn, I really should’ve told you earlier—I’m seriously sorry! I have no right to badmouth that guy!”

“What are you talking about…? Lork?!”

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Lork pushed Yuan straight toward the Red Man and, in the moment Yuan tumbled to the ground, bolted down the hallway without looking back. The pain of his frail body slamming against the floor was nothing compared to the shock and betrayal that hit him first.

“Wh—Where are you going?! Lork! Lork!”

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Yuan flailed, struggling to get up, but his tense body refused to cooperate. By the time he managed to gather himself, Lork had already vanished beyond the hallway.

‘Didn’t he say we were teammates? That we were in this together? And now he’s just throwing me away like this?!’

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As Yuan sat there, paralyzed by betrayal and confusion, the Red Man strode toward him with heavy steps. Sitting on the floor while the other man loomed over him, the unfortunate angle gave Yuan an unavoidable view of the man’s crotch.

The noticeable bulge made Yuan instinctively envious—wait, no, that wasn’t the point. So, it did grow back after all. Whether that was fortunate or not, he wasn’t sure.

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‘Would he get mad if I stared too much?’