SSEI | Chapter 2.6

Sael smiled slightly and wrapped the rope around Yuan’s neck. Now that it was on, it looked a little like a dog collar. There was also a bit of an unsettling connotation to having a rope tied around one’s neck, but Yuan decided not to make a big deal out of it. Either way, sharing useful items was a good thing.

“That Red bastard is definitely scheming something. Let’s destroy the windmill before anyone else tries messing with it.”

“Uh, Eren Noeul… why did the Red Man give that guy such information in the first place?”

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“Who knows? I don’t have an answer for that. But I’ve heard rumors that he likes to manipulate desperate people into doing things for him. And I’ve never seen a single one of them meet a good end.”

“It’s best not to listen to anything the Red Man says, Yuan. By the time you realize you’ve been used, it’s already too late.”

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Both of them spoke with concern in their voices, warning him. It was good to learn another reason why the Red Man had such a bad reputation, but even so, Yuan couldn’t shake his unease.

‘Why the hell does that guy do these things?’

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Sael and Eren Noeul didn’t seem to have an answer to that either, so Yuan didn’t bother asking. But the more he thought about it, the more that man’s motives bugged him.

Before the Red Man had nearly taken Yuan’s head, he had said something. Yuan had chosen to come here for a specific purpose, and it would be meaningless to leave without fulfilling that purpose. And just now, that ‘Blue Dot’ guy had been desperate to confirm something before he died…

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‘Why did that guy come here? No—before that, why did I?’

Both questions were ones he couldn’t answer right now. Yuan kept pondering while Sael and Eren Noeul worked on destroying the windmill’s machinery, but all it did was give him a headache.

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***

The two of them decided to stay at the evening location for a while instead of heading straight into the night phase. It made sense—Eren Noeul was at her strongest in the evening, and Sael needed to loot as many supply boxes as possible before they moved on to a more dangerous area.

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“For now, we’ll wander around Maze Village, gather supply boxes, and take down any stragglers we run into. The layout here is complicated, and there are lots of places to take cover, so it’s not exactly in my favor… But considering the time of day, there’s no way I’m losing.”

“Honestly, just gathering supply boxes is already a win. Maze Village has a surprising number of hidden supplies.”

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While the two of them scoured the alleys, breaking open supply boxes, Yuan focused on scouting the surroundings. As soon as he wrapped the gemstone rope around his neck, his vision expanded just as Sael had described. He could now see both the direction they were heading and the direction his own head was facing at the same time.

‘Ugh… this is dizzying…’

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He vaguely remembered hearing somewhere that a fish’s field of view could cover both the front and back. Of course, without memories, he had no idea who told him that, or if it was even true. If it was, then fish must be constantly disoriented—because seeing both the front and back at once was way more confusing than he’d expected.

“I feel dizzy. Everything’s spinning…”

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“You don’t have to push yourself to widen your vision too much. Honestly, just keeping an eye on our backs is a huge help… Oh, right! If you’re bored, do you want some snacks?”

Sael pulled out some snacks—one of those things that occasionally showed up in supply boxes—and fed Yuan. He didn’t have a stomach, so where exactly the food was going was a mystery, but since it passed down his throat just fine, Yuan decided not to think too hard about it. Maybe the symbiotic clam inside him was happily munching away.

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As he leisurely snacked like a pet being spoiled, another thought slowly crept into his mind.

“What’s the Red Man up to right now?”

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There was no way he was still wandering the wasteland. Yuan figured he was probably at one of the evening locations by now, but…

“…He’s not around here, is he?”

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The sudden thought sent a shiver down his spine. And it wasn’t an unreasonable fear. If there were five evening locations, that meant a minimum 20% chance that the Red Man would show up here. Even if nothing had happened before, just the possibility was enough to be terrifying.

And then there was the whole windmill incident—more than enough reason to feel uneasy. Those two people who had died earlier were under the Red Man’s orders to activate the windmill’s machinery. If they’d succeeded, the area would have been wiped out, taking countless lives with it.

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“Maybe he’ll come to check things out. If he realizes the windmill never activated, he might figure out that something went wrong.”

Yuan’s nerves were on high alert. His expanded vision was too dizzying to be useful, but listening to distant sounds wasn’t hard.

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No matter how fast and strong the Red Man was, he wasn’t floating in the air. If there was even the faintest footstep mixed in with the occasional gust of wind, Yuan planned to report it immediately.

As he stayed sharp, fully focused on keeping watch, Eren Noeul and Sael also started showing signs of unease.

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“Sael, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Yeah. We’re getting lucky with supplies, but it’s way too quiet. We’ve been roaming for a while now, and we haven’t seen a single person… That just doesn’t make sense, does it?”

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“Not at all. Usually, at least five teams make it from the wasteland to Maze Village—sometimes more, but rarely fewer than four. But this…”

“Even if people are moving carefully, that doesn’t explain it. There are no signs of looted supply boxes anywhere. Why does it feel like there’s no one here at all?”

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The two of them whispered to each other as they kept scanning their surroundings. And sure enough, the area did feel deserted.

After those two they’d fought back at the windmill, they hadn’t seen a single soul.

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“Uh… Is this a really bad situation?”

“Don’t worry too much, Yuan. I was just debating whether or not to move to another area.”

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“Another area…? You mean you’re thinking of crossing over to a place where it’s night?”

“There’s still plenty of time, so we don’t have to go that far. Just moving to the adjacent zone should be enough. The canola flower field or the lakefront would be ideal…”

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“Will things get a little better if we move there?”

“Probably? No matter how many supply boxes we open, it’s hard to earn points if we don’t run into enemies. Since I’d rather meet some opponents anyway, I figure we might as well. If not here, I won’t have many chances to rack up points.”

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Eren Noeul tried her best to keep her voice bright, as if she didn’t want to make Yuan worry. She still looked a little uneasy, but Yuan thought her suggestion wasn’t bad.

Moving to another area might really improve their situation.

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Even Sael whispered reassuringly in a gentle tone, as if trying to ease Yuan’s nerves.

“We’ve already looted some good weapons and tools from the boxes, so don’t worry too much. At least for now, there aren’t many people who could defeat Eren Noeul.”

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“Alright… but still, be careful.”

Yuan murmured in a voice as small as a mosquito’s buzz and continued scanning his surroundings.

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The two seemed to have really decided to stop searching for supply boxes, as they stepped onto the main road and started walking straight ahead. Yuan was nervous about the possibility of encountering an enemy, but since that was exactly what the two wanted, he had no grounds to stop them.

Besides, even to Yuan’s eyes, their gear looked quite formidable. They had found and donned some decent armor from the supply boxes, and in addition, they carried a sharp spear that fired explosive rounds the moment it was aimed, as well as a shield with a surface smooth as ice.

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With equipment like that, they wouldn’t be instantly wiped out even if they were suddenly ambushed.

As long as they made it to another zone, they’d be fine.

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He couldn’t fully convince himself that everything would be okay, but at the very least, it had to be better than staying here. Yuan kept trying to calm his uneasy mind.

How much time had passed?

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Just as Yuan started growing restless, the two suddenly stopped in their tracks.

Thinking they had already arrived at the next zone, Yuan widened his field of view—then flinched in surprise.

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“Is that the new area?”

“Yeah, it’s the canola flower field. But that’s not the real problem right now… You see them too, don’t you?”

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Beyond the vast plain dyed in golden yellow by the sunset, two figures were walking toward them.

Though not as heavily armed as their group, they were still decently equipped and moved cautiously, scanning their surroundings with an air of experience.

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“Yes. A short silver-haired man wearing a feathered hat, and a tall woman with a veil over her head… Do you know them?”

“They’re probably Malli and Osma. Of all people, why did it have to be them? This is such a hassle.”

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From Sael’s sour reaction, it was clear that these two were no ordinary opponents.

Eren Noeul and Sael carefully controlled their footsteps to avoid making noise and slipped into a nearby alleyway.

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Since Yuan wasn’t in their line of sight, the best he could do was widen his field of vision and keep watch over them.

Observing the pair walking toward the village, Yuan asked,

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“Are they dangerous?”

“They’re not insanely dangerous, but they’re definitely tricky to deal with. Especially for us.”

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“They both have survival-based skills. Malli, that silver-haired guy, has an ability that lets him survive for up to one minute even if he takes a fatal hit. If his teammate provides emergency treatment at that time, he can be saved. And Osma…”

“…She has a skill that nullifies the first attack when she enters a specific area. That puts me at a huge disadvantage.”

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See? I told you my ability isn’t as overpowered as it seems.

Eren Noeul sighed and whispered to Yuan.

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Indeed, both of them were tough for Eren Noeul to handle.

The guy wouldn’t die for a whole minute even if she skewered his head, and the woman’s first attack nullification meant her opening strike would be useless.

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Yuan was already feeling overwhelmed just thinking about it.

“What about attacking them now? They haven’t entered the village yet, so…”

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“That could backfire. If Osma hasn’t been attacked even once in the canola flower field, my ‘first strike’ would still be wasted. And if those two realize what’s happening and rush into the village, my second attack might end up a complete miss too.”

“Then why don’t we just shoot Malli? If his teammate gets attacked, she might panic and retreat. And since he can be saved with emergency treatment, she’ll definitely try to keep him alive.”

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“Making them back off doesn’t mean much. Besides, knowing Osma, she’ll probably go berserk and charge at us no matter whether Malli lives or dies. She’s got a pretty nasty personality—not as bad as the Red Man, but still…”