SSEI | Chapter 2.12

This guy… He had a pretty nasty personality. Yuan pouted slightly and glared at the shopkeeper, but the young man just leaned back against the sofa with a lazy expression.

“There are only two things I can tell you for free.”

“What?”

“First—keep the fact that you have Crimson Disease, Final Stage a secret. Most people won’t know what it means, but some do. If the wrong person finds out, you’re in for a rough time.”

“A rough time…?”

“It’s better if you don’t know. Especially don’t tell that guy with the Red Blade. He’ll make your life a living hell.”

That guy with the Red Blade again…? Yuan was starting to get fed up. No matter where he went, people kept bringing him up. Still, he decided to take this advice seriously. He had already been decapitated and had his skull split open by the Red Man. He really didn’t want to get involved with him again.

But he was curious. Why was it so important to keep his condition a secret? What exactly would happen if someone found out? This whole situation was leaving a bad feeling in his gut, and he wanted to dig for more information.

But.

“Okay… Then, what’s the second thing?”

“Buy a private room pass. 400 points.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You should hurry up and buy what you need and get out of here. You came early, but soon enough, other wanderers will start showing up to shop too—including some people you probably don’t want to run into.”

After saying that, he pulled another blue slip of paper from under the counter. Wow. Seriously? Yuan felt the urge to say something about this blatant money-grabbing scheme—it was really something else. But if he wasted more time here, just like the shopkeeper warned, other wanderers might start showing up. Maybe even the Red Man.

“Alright, I’ll come back later! Oh, wait—what’s the cheapest Core of Calamity you have?”

“One million points. And even then, there are special conditions for purchase.”

“Wow, you scammer! Do you even want to sell anything?!”

Yuan shouted in disbelief and snatched the paper from the shopkeeper’s hand before quickly turning around. The young man clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn’t say anything more.

“Okay then, I’ll be going! Thanks for all your help!”

“Already? Wait, are you seriously leaving alone?”

“It should be fine now. You two take your time shopping! See you later!”

Without hesitation, Yuan dashed toward the door. Sael and Eren Noeul looked at him with slightly surprised expressions, but he just waved at them before pushing the door open.

He had learned an important lesson from his previous encounter with Lork—once a match ended, a new team would be formed, and any connections with the previous team would naturally fade away.

In fact, Yuan hadn’t even been on the same team as those two in the first place, so there was no reason for him to stick around. They’d probably part ways soon enough once the new team assignments were announced.

‘…Right. How do I even use this private room pass?’

That thought only hit Yuan after he had already left the shop and was walking down the corridor.

It’d be embarrassing to go back and ask now, so he decided he’d just ask whoever ended up on his next team. With that settled, he continued down the hallway, thinking about where to go next. Whether it was the cafeteria or the library, there had to be plenty of places he could go alone.

Yuan wandered alone through the quiet hallways, devoid of people. At a glance, he might have looked like a lost wanderer, but in reality, he just didn’t know his way around. His destination itself was quite clear.

‘Library… where’s the library…?’

Since the shopkeeper had warned him not to tell anyone about the disease, the most realistic way to find information right now was through books in the library. He wasn’t exactly sure how to search for information in a library, but he figured he could start with keywords like ‘disease’ or ‘special abilities.’

Additionally, if possible, he wanted to find information related to ‘calamities.’ What exactly were they? What conditions were required to buy a Core of Calamity, and what kind of abilities would it grant upon implantation? Of course, this was more of a curiosity-driven investigation and not an urgent matter, so he could put it off until later.

However, Yuan soon faced a major obstacle. Ever since he had left the shop, he had been unable to find the library.

Lork had told him the location last time, but he had long since forgotten the explanation. Not that it would have helped much—he didn’t even know where he was right now.

‘Forget the library… where the hell am I?’

The hallway stretched on endlessly, lined with identical doors, making every turn feel the same. He tried to figure out his location by looking out the window, but all he could see was an endless sky, which didn’t help at all.

Absentmindedly, he opened a window and stuck his head out—only to quickly pull back in fear.

‘Damn, this place is really high up. The clouds are way down below.’

So this sanctuary was floating high in the sky. He had vaguely suspected as much when he fell from the Descent Hatch, but actually looking outside like this made his head spin. The thought of falling to his death kept him from looking out the window again.

Lost and exhausted, Yuan finally slumped against the corner of the hallway and plopped down. He was starting to get tired. At this rate, he might end up wandering through unknown hallways until the next match started.

Fatigue: Quite tired (And the match hasn’t even started yet?)

Ignoring the ‘status indicator’ blinking in his head as if mocking him, Yuan let out a deep sigh. Would he even make it to the next match? He didn’t even know where the Descent Hatch was.

He had seen the Red Man use a shortcut last time, but of course, he had completely forgotten how. If he wasn’t careful, he might end up missing the match entirely while aimlessly wandering the halls.

Maybe he should just go back to the shop? At least he still remembered the shortcut to get there… Yuan was just about ready to swallow his pride and ask the shopkeeper for directions when—

“Why are you sitting there like that? Are you sick?”

A shadow fell over him.

Startled, Yuan looked up to see a stranger standing before him.

“…Huh?”

No, this person should have been a stranger, but for some reason, he felt oddly familiar.

The young man had soft brown hair tied back halfway and was dressed in all black from head to toe. His outfit was similar to the Red Man’s, but his overall vibe was completely different. While the Red Man carried an air of heavy, ominous stillness, this guy felt much lighter, almost refreshing—like a deer. Not in a gentle way, but in a way that made him seem quick and agile.

Where had he seen this person before? Yuan racked his brain until he finally remembered. That’s right—back in the last match…

“You’re… Blue Dot, right?”

“Oh? Do you know me? Anyway, you must be the newbie who joined recently. I almost thought you were dead, the way you were sprawled out in the hallway.”

Bingo.

This was the same person who had tried to operate the windmill in Maze Village—the one who had been killed by Eren Noeul. Back then, Yuan had been too caught up in the moment, and the guy had seemed a lot more desperate. He definitely gave off a different impression now…

“That’s right. My name is Yuan. And, uh… I’m here because I got lost. Do you know where the library is?”

“The library? Just grab any random piece of paper, stick it in the gap between a door, open and close it twice.”

“Thank you! So that’s a kind of shortcut, right?”

“Yeah. If you go the long way, you won’t make it before the match starts. This is basically the opposite side of the building from the library, so… wait, right, you said you were lost. Well, it happens to everyone at first.”

Yuan swallowed a sigh and subtly observed the man in front of him. When he had seen him at the windmill last time, he had seemed like a cornered assassin—downright terrifying. But now, under the bright sunlight, he looked relaxed and even kind, which was unexpected.

He had a somewhat similar impression to Sael, but the difference was that this guy seemed far more experienced. He also looked to be in his early thirties—definitely older.

“Anyway, if you got lost, why didn’t you just walk into a lounge and ask someone for directions? Are you that timid?”

“T-That’s because… I was scared I might run into someone scary…”

“Scary? Oh, don’t tell me you mean Red Man. Why would that guy be in a lounge? He’s not the type to hang around in places like that.”

That was a relief to hear. Now that he thought about it, it was hard to imagine that man sitting in a lounge, chatting with others.

Actually, it wasn’t just Red Man—Malli and Osma, who he had fought in the last round, had also seemed terrifying. But now that he thought about it, maybe they had only been scared because they were his enemies at the time. If he had met them casually in a hallway or a lounge like this, maybe they would have been surprisingly friendly.

Maybe he should start stopping by the lounges more often and build relationships with different people. Yuan decided to do just that.

He was just about to try out the shortcut he had learned when the young man suddenly stepped between him and the door, blocking his way.

“Where are you rushing off to? Don’t go alone—let’s go together.”

“Uh… Huh…?”

“What’s with that weird noise? Do you hate the idea that much? Besides, you’re holding a private room pass, right? If you use that the same way, you won’t end up in the library—you’ll end up in your private room.”

“The shopkeeper didn’t tell you that?” Blue Dot asked with a confused expression.

Yuan, meanwhile, became completely convinced that the shopkeeper had a horrible personality. He conveniently ignored the fact that he had run off before properly listening to any explanations.

Still, it was good to know how to access his private room, even if it was by accident. Letting out a sigh, Yuan nodded—only to have another piece of paper thrust in front of his face.

“Also, we’re on the same team. That’s actually why I came looking for you.”

It was a team assignment sheet.

Yuan blinked in surprise, looking between the paper and the young man. The man just smiled lightly, his expression calm and relaxed.

He hadn’t thought he’d been wandering that long, but apparently, the team assignments were already out.