SSEI | Chapter 2.10

“I’ll make myself clear this time. Whether you become my partner or not, do not get in my way.”

“How am I supposed to know whether to interfere or not if I don’t even know what you’re doing? Are you… looking for your past, by any chance? But Osma said that was just a conspiracy theory. Is that really true? Or maybe, after failing to escape for so long, you just wanted something to hold onto?”

The Red Man didn’t respond.

But unlike before, he didn’t just sit there in silence. Instead, he stood up, picked up his axe, and slowly aimed it directly at the center of Yuan’s head.

“From now on, I should just finish you off properly every time I see you. The more I talk to you, the more I feel like I’m getting sucked into your pace.”

“O-Okay! I was wrong! I totally crossed the line just now! I’m sorry, so please forgive me just this once!”

That’s when Yuan finally realized just how bad the situation had gotten.

But it was already too late.

The Red Man let out a deep sigh and brought the axe down.

The blade split through his skull like a clam shell, slamming straight into his face.

And just like that, Yuan’s consciousness faded to black.

***

Points: 450 (Lowland Passage +100, Weapon Acquisition +50, Assisted in Defeating 3 Enemies +300)
Cause of Death: An axe split your head in half. Luckily, you died before you even had the chance to feel pain!
Deaths: 2
Ranking: 37th
Rank: E
Tip: Your partner was a big help in taking down multiple enemies. It was a chaotic fight where it was hard to tell who was an enemy and who was an ally, but maybe that made it even more exciting! Next time, try taking down an enemy on your own!

***

As expected, treating someone like a conspiracy-obsessed denialist wasn’t the best move. Yuan reflected on his mistake as he slowly woke up.

It seemed like he was back in the lounge again. The crackling sound of the fire spreading its warmth and the familiar yet slightly uncomfortable softness of the sofa—it was almost exactly the same as last time.

Wiggling his fingers and toes, Yuan made sure his body was back in one piece. He never thought he’d come to miss this sensation. Having all his limbs intact was definitely a blessing.

“Yuan? Are you awake?”

Startled by the familiar voice, Yuan opened his eyes wide. Sitting right in front of him was Sael, smiling warmly. Beside him sat Eren Noeul, and though Yuan flinched at the sight of her, neither of them looked particularly angry.

“Sael? Eren Noeul? Uh, um… I’m really sorry about the last match!”

Even if they didn’t look mad, an apology was necessary. After all, his so-called partner, the Red Man, had wiped out both of them in an instant.

But neither Sael nor Eren Noeul seemed too bothered by it. Instead, they burst into laughter. Eren Noeul chuckled and patted Yuan on the shoulder.

“What’s there to be sorry about? Sure, I lost my special biome detector, but at least I got to watch something interesting at the end. You seem closer to the Red Man than I expected, huh?”

“Closer? What are you talking about? I just got my head split in half by his axe again this time! By the way, are you sure attacks don’t work on a partner from the same team? That guy slices my throat and cracks my skull open like it’s nothing!”

“I told you, it’s possible if you have the right tools. Like those cursed items they sell in the shop…”

“Wait, so you’re telling me he actually spent points in the shop just to murder his own partner? What kind of personality is that? Forget being shady—that’s just straight-up petty and pathetic!”

“Pfft—Ahahaha! ‘Pathetic’? Seriously?”

Sael and Eren Noeul burst into laughter, nearly doubling over.

Sure, they thought it was funny, but Yuan was dead serious.

Yeah, fine, they were in a game where fighting and killing each other was part of the deal. But according to the rules, there was no actual need to kill your own teammate. Spending precious points just to eliminate your own partner? To Yuan, that felt like some kind of scam. Not to mention, it was just so ridiculously cheap and underhanded.

While he sat there fuming, the other two finally managed to stop laughing. Eren Noeul gave him a few pats on the shoulder before shrugging.

“Well, I guess it makes sense that you’d be pissed… But at least you earned some points this time, right? Thanks to Malli activating the neurotoxic mist, you should’ve gotten some assistance points.”

“Assistance…? Oh, now that you mention it, when I died earlier, I think I saw ‘Assistance: 3’ pop up on the screen.”

“I knew it. Based on the rules, it’s like you helped your partner by paralyzing other people. Since Malli didn’t get hit by the neurotoxic mist at the end, it probably only applied to three people instead of four.”

Yuan hadn’t meant to do it, but the results spoke for themselves. He nodded blankly, still processing the situation.

Who exactly decided these rules, and who made sure they were followed? There had only been wanderers fighting each other in that place, so was there some kind of invisible observer watching from high above, keeping track of every battle?

‘Maybe there’s some kind of judge out there… someone monitoring every fight with some crazy technology, keeping an eye on who kills who and making sure no one cheats…’

Who they were and why they did it was a complete mystery, but there were too many unknowns to worry about just one. Yuan decided not to overthink it for now.

In any case, he had definitely earned some points. He vaguely recalled getting a small amount after his first fight, so he figured his total must be somewhere over 600 now. He had no idea how much that was worth, but if he was lucky, maybe he could finally buy something useful from the shop.

A small thrill ran through him at the thought.

The other two must have noticed, because they grinned at him.

“Wanna check out the shop? I can show you how to buy stuff.”

“You don’t have that many points, so you won’t be able to get anything amazing. But there are a few useful things you should grab early on. We’ll help you out.”

“T-Thank you! You guys are helping me out this much…!”

“It’s no big deal. We need to visit the shop anyway to prep for the next match.”

“Besides, after watching something that entertaining last round, this is the least we can do. I’ve never seen the Red Man struggle like that before!”

They were still chuckling as they led Yuan toward the shop.

…Wait, had that guy really been struggling?

From Yuan’s perspective, he had been the one floundering, nitpicking at every little thing while the Red Man just stood there looking grumpy, before ultimately deciding to split his head open like a log.

But thinking about it like this was way more fun—and honestly, much better for his mental health.

Deciding to roll with it, Yuan agreed with them and got to his feet.

What kind of things would the shop have? He probably couldn’t afford any of those cursed items to take revenge on that guy, but he had heard from Lork that you could buy a private room pass…

Even if there wasn’t much he could afford, just looking around would be a valuable experience. With his mind full of wild guesses and expectations, Yuan eagerly followed them to the shop.

—

The path to the shop was nothing short of bizarre. It wasn’t that it was overly complicated or that strange spaces popped up along the way. What really caught Yuan off guard was that, unlike Lork, these two were leading him through a mysterious shortcut.

“Here’s something important to know. This sanctuary is actually way bigger than you’d think. If you try walking normally, you’ll end up wasting anywhere from several minutes to a few hours just getting to places.”

“It’s that big? Then… what’s the alternative to walking normally?”

“We use shortcuts. Pay attention and remember this. No matter which room you start from, place your hand on the left wall and walk straight ahead. Knock three times on the first three doors you touch, then close your eyes. Keep your hand on the wall and walk forward, and when you touch the next door—open it. That’ll take you to the shop.”

…Left wall, knocking, closing my eyes? Yuan felt his brain twisting itself into knots as he stared at them. The moment he did, both Sael and Eren Noeul chuckled.

“Yuan, don’t tell me… This is your first time hearing about shortcuts? Well, I guess that makes sense. You’re still a newbie.”

“Lork didn’t tell me anything like this last time. He just pointed out where the cafeteria and library were….”

Even as he answered, Yuan recalled how the Red Man had moved toward the Descent Hatch during their last match. The guy had been taking weird, roundabout routes—turning corners multiple times and even going up stairs only to go right back down again—claiming that was a shortcut.

So that was how shortcuts worked in this place.

How did any of it actually work? He had no clue.

‘I guess that’s just how things are here.’

Deciding not to overthink it, Yuan followed their instructions and stepped through the shortcut. Three knocks, three doors, one final door after keeping his eyes closed.

When he finally opened his eyes, his jaw dropped.

He could already tell the others were going to tease him for making a dumb face again, but he could not help it.

“What the hell… What is all this!?”

“Impressive, huh?”

It wasn’t just impressive—it was overwhelming.

The size of the shop was one thing, but the items themselves were what truly boggled the mind.

Yuan had expected something like a convenience store or a curio shop—a place with stacks of tickets and private room passes at the counter, alongside shelves lined with antique-looking tools and relics.

But the actual shop?

It looked more like a butcher shop.

The walls on both sides were packed with grotesque biological remains. Some kind of massive beast’s severed head was mounted on the wall, its exposed brain glistening beneath the dim light. Further down, a skeletal frame of an unidentifiable creature stood with fresh, blood-red flesh carelessly draped over its bones.

In fact, the regular items—like tickets or trinkets—were barely visible at all. Osma’s tiara, for example, wasn’t anywhere in sight.

Yuan turned his head wildly, searching for anything that made sense.

Sael gave a knowing smirk and explained, “You don’t usually buy finished products here. You pick out materials and bring them to the merchant, who’ll craft whatever you need.”

”…Wait. Do you mean tickets are made the same way?”

“Some, yeah—like special biome tickets. If you want to know which materials you need, you can check the library for reference.”

Yuan stared blankly at the grotesque display of bones and flesh.

How the hell do you mix bones and meat together to create a ticket!?

But at this point, he figured it was best to just memorize the results rather than question the process.