What Money Can’t Buy (4)
“You don’t have to feel guilty.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well… I feel like I know what you’re thinking about. ‘If I had done the right thing…’ Are you not thinking like this?”
“I’m… not.”
‘You’re not, right…’
I already knew what she was thinking. Wouldn’t this have happened if the work hadn’t been done lukewarmly?
Of course, even if she’d handled the Little Rock matter properly, nothing would have changed. I could assure that it wouldn’t affect even 1% of this place.
“Even if you had handled the matter properly, nothing would change.”
“…”
“Song is a part of this place, not all… As you can see, this place is working without any external influences. I told you, even the Lord of Castle Rock wouldn’t be able to predict that there would be such a place.”
“How can you not know what is going on in your estate?”
“Do you think the mayor of Seoul knows everything that happens in Seoul? Perhaps some of the people related to the Castle Rock’s Lord have joined this place. Some people know and cover it up. And can you be sure that the place we are in is Castle Rock? Perhaps it’s a border close to the Republic. It’s in a secret location, after all.”
“Why…”
“It may be entangled in but it’s not something Yuka should bother with. What you need to know is simple. It is a part that needs to be cut out, but this reality is definitely part of society. And the people in these seats are also members of society.”
“What…”
“There is no such thing as a world without crime.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“You will, eventually.”
While we talked as we walked, Cho Hyejin continued to frown. Her tone was a little cold, and she seemed to be doing her best to hold back her anger.
Of course, she wasn’t angry with me. The only thing she was angry with was this environment and herself, who could not do anything.
It was only now that she had faced reality, and it had slapped her right where it hurt.
Thinking that now was the perfect time to talk to her a little more kindly, I spoke up once more.
“Don’t you think there’s really nothing they can’t get?”
“They think they can buy everything with money. It’s obvious what these people think.”
“That’s right. If you have money, you can buy everything. Not only slaves but drugs or sex. You can even buy experience.”
“You mean experience?”
“Yes. Experience. I’m just asking… Have you ever killed someone, Yuka?”
I thought that maybe she did.
If she had rotted in this place for quite a long time, there was no way she wouldn’t have experience. Perhaps her first experience was in the tutorial dungeon. In places where food was limited, there were many instances for brawls to break out,
Our party also had this experience, all except for Park Deokgu. The same went for Jung Hayan as well as Kim Hyunsung.
I also killed some in the tutorial dungeon, though I could no longer remember their names.
As I stared at Cho Hyejin, she stared back at me for a moment before replying.
“I have…”
“I guess it’s not a very good memory.”
“If it were a good memory… It must be weird.”
“You’re right. It’s not a good memory. However, people who think of it as a good memory pop out often… Free people like us all have some experience, but it’s difficult for ordinary nobles to experience it, right? In particular, murder among imperialists is absolutely illegal. Nobles can punish commoners, but they cannot kill them without sin. Where do you think crazy humans go to satisfy their needs? I’m sure it will happen here, too.”
“No way…”
Upon seeing Hyejin’s doubtful expression, I couldn’t help but laugh. She still seemed to have hopes for humanity.
At this, I raised my hand, and the guide headed straight towards me. Of course, she started looking at me as if to see what was going on.
‘If you see it, you will know.’
Trying to explain in words would prove to be fruitless.
“How can I help you?”
“I need help with directions.”
“You can speak comfortably.”
“I want to try this sword… Is there a suitable place?”
“Of course. Will it be against a monster? Or…”
“I have something to do now, so if you can tell me the way, I will go there on my own. Oh, before that, if there is a place where I can see a large monster, please do guide me as well.”
“Am I allowed to guide you directly?”
“No. Just explaining it is fine.”
“Go straight down this road and continue to the right; you will get to exit 3. Walk over there, and you’ll see a circular arena. The admission fee is separate…”
“Yes. Okay. You can go now.”
“Thank you.”
When the guy disappeared, I saw Cho Hyejin with a disbelieving expression.
“Did you see?”
“…”
“There is nothing that cannot be bought. Experience can also be bought with money here. The same goes for illegal experiences.”
“…”
“Is there anything you usually want to do, anything that you have only pictured in your head? I’ll pay the money here, so why don’t you look it up?”
“You…”
“I’m only kidding. Relax.”
Whatever she would want, it would probably exist here.
I continued to step forward, ignoring her, and I saw the circular arena, just as the guide said. It was bigger than I had initially thought.
It was almost as if the former Colosseum had been moved underground.
I could see some people waiting to enter, while others talked to each other. As soon as we gave out the gold we had prepared, one of the guides nodded and directed us.
“To the VIP.”
“Additional charge is applied.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Alright, then.”
“Is the game about to start?”
“We’re on a break. The next match is scheduled to start in 5 minutes.”
“Okay.”
After the guide left, Cho Hyejin immediately opened her mouth, curiosity evident on her face.
“Haruka-nim, what game?”
“Well… Didn’t I say it was the first time I came here? If it were a game with large monsters, it would be obvious what kind of game it would be.”
“Do you mean that this is a hunting game of some sort?”
“I don’t think it’s something boring… Do you think the people gathered here just because they wanted to see an adventurer beating monsters?”
“Then…”
“You’ll see.”
As soon as I finished speaking, a voice resonated within the arena, signaling the event’s start. Though no one screamed outright as they had to maintain their appearances, a few of them had settled for applauding.
Among them, the one that stood out was the woman we had seen earlier. It felt like she was looking our way, so I averted my gaze.
‘I must not give her any attention.’
As I lowered my head, a large monster soon entered the arena.
‘So big…’
I couldn’t even express it in words. The monster’s head was similar to that of a lizard, but it had six legs. It was drooling at the corner of its mouth, and its scream was so loud that it hurt my ears. The audience, who had been quiet at first, also began to cheer as they saw it.
Of course, someone else appeared on the other side. They were probably the humans who would have to deal with that monster. They were about thirty.
These were ordinary people who would face monsters without even having basic equipment. I could also tell that these people were of different races, and therefore had no product value.
The beautiful elves, perhaps reflecting the tastes of various audiences, stood out.
Naturally, I looked at them through their status window, and of course, their stats were terrible. Those who had signs of fighting among them could be noticed, but of course, this wasn’t enough to deal with such a monster. They were definitely going to face their deaths soon.
After the chains holding the monster were broken, the monster rushed toward these thirty humans instantly. The said humans, who had all lost the will to fight before the match even started, began to scatter, fleeing through the arena.
Voices erupted from everywhere.
“Hold on!”
“I told you to hold on a little more!”
‘Are they even betting?’
The appearance of a monster crushing humans like a fish in the water looked so ridiculous that sudden uncontrollable laughter came out of me.
Blood spurted out continuously, but there were no people in this place who cared about them.
“Kie-e-e-e-ee!”
“H-Help me!”
“Help me! Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Their gruesome drama was unfolding, but those present here would not be interested in their documentaries. In fact, everyone would see this as a form of entertainment.
As I found the scene quite gruesome, it appeared that I was not yet as rotten as these people. Seeing that more than half of the humans had already died, I began to feel uncomfortable.
‘Tut-tut.’
Since I was feeling this way, Cho Hyejin should be even worse. She frowned at what we just saw at the slave market. I turned to look at her.
‘Is it too strong?’
I could see rage shining from deep in her pupils. Blood dripped down from her lips from her incessant biting, as well as from her clenched fists.
‘I think she will do something.’
“You can’t make a fuss here…”
“I know.”
“You can’t.”
“I… know.”
I knew she was not registering what I was saying. I began to feel anxious about what she might do next. When I went to hold her hand, I could feel her trembling.
In the meantime, the screaming continued. Now, only five humans remained in the stadium.
“H-Help me.”
“Please help me!”
“Please! Someone… Somebody help!”
“I don’t want to die… Sniff…”
“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die here like this… Please… Please…”
The victims’ begging were hopelessly drowned out amidst the shouts of the insane audience. However, it seemed as if Cho Hyejin could hear them clearly.
‘Son of a… Fuck…’
My anxiety spiked at the possibility of her running out. If that happened, it could escalate to a situation that even I would not be able to handle.
I saw Cho Hyejin getting up slowly, and I held her hand tightly once again, but in the eyes of Castle Rock’s Stubborn Woman of Principle, I seemed to be invisible.
‘Was the provocation too much?’
“Don’t do anything crazy.”
“I know.”
“If you jump in, I’ll die too.”
“…”
“Do you still want to save them?”
It was a little too soon, but it was only right that I did it now.
“Think harder. How do you think you can save them?”
The correct answer had already been decided. What was important now was if the answer would come out of her mouth or not.
I stared up at her for a long time, waiting for her to respond to my question.
After what seemed like forever, Cho Hyejin finally spoke.
“I…”
“…”
“I will buy them.”
“That’s correct.”