Chapter 20
Nighttime Room Rental (1)
Red fog. And a warning about respiratory damage.
The latter clearly didn't just mean a little coughing.
Judging by the way this world had operated so far, it was bound to be much worse.
Maybe your lungs melt or something.
The fact that the system informed them of the nighttime weather when the room-rental service became available was practically the same as ordering everyone to use it.
"Should we find a motel?"
"...Huh?"
"To rent a room."
"There are plenty of houses around here, though."
As Yechan said, the area was full of residences.
Beyond the supermarket were entire neighborhoods of houses and apartment buildings.
But in Yeongwoo's eyes, those homes had one fatal flaw.
"The owners are likely to come back. People used to live there."
"Huh? O-Oh... right."
Yechan only understood Yeongwoo's point a moment later.
"You're right. Ordinary houses definitely belonged to somebody..."
"A motel has an owner too, but they don't use every room themselves. There should be vacant rooms."
Of course, that only applied if they got there before everyone else.
"But even if all the rooms are taken, it probably won't be a problem for you, mister. You're the Gumi First Sword. Everyone would want to share a room with you."
Yeongwoo shook his head.
"I'll pass. At first they might welcome me out of goodwill, but the moment they see the First Sword asleep, even people without murderous intent might start getting ideas."
"...Yeah, I guess that could happen."
Yechan accepted the reasoning, though he found Yeongwoo increasingly difficult to understand.
He was the man who had distributed money to everyone despite giving up a fortune for himself.
The same man who cared more about people than profit.
Yet he distrusted humans this deeply.
It was impossible to figure him out.
「In 2 hours, the abnormal weather phenomenon [Red Fog] will form.」
A climate notification appeared.
At the top of their vision, a timer materialized.
Flash!
「01:59:58」
Two hours? So the weather starts around eleven tonight.
Considering that most people were crowding supermarkets and convenience stores for food, two hours was hardly generous.
In truth, Yeongwoo and Yechan couldn't afford to waste time either.
"Do you know if there's a motel nearby?"
"N-No idea... Isn't that something an adult should know?"
"You think adults memorize every motel in town?"
As he protested, Yeongwoo suddenly realized something.
He had never visited a motel even once in Gumi.
"Let's just follow the main road. If we can't find one, we'll head back toward the station or use some random house."
They were currently in Bisan-dong, far northeast of Gumi Station.
For Yeongwoo, who had rarely ventured beyond his dormitory, it was completely unfamiliar territory.
Creak. Creak.
They pedaled along the road for about ten minutes.
Eventually, Yeongwoo spotted a family ahead and slowed down.
"Excuse me! Could I ask for directions?"
The woman leading the group immediately raised the axe in her hand defensively.
After all, a man riding a bicycle with a long object wrapped in cloth looked suspicious.
Then she noticed his title.
"Wait, aren't you Jung Yeongwoo?"
At her words, her husband and child, who were carrying shields, immediately began searching through their pockets.
They were probably reaching for those commemorative coins again.
"Yeah... Do you live nearby? We're looking for a motel."
"A motel? There should be one around here somewhere..."
The woman looked unsure of the exact location.
"Then I guess we'll keep looking."
Yeongwoo politely thanked her and was about to pedal away when the husband waved.
"If you follow that road over there, there's a place called Riverside Motel on the left. It's tucked between buildings, so it's easy to miss."
"Ah, thank you."
As Yeongwoo bowed his head, the woman smiled at her husband.
"You know the area really well."
"Ah, well..."
Before the man could finish speaking, Yeongwoo had already pedaled off.
Riverside Motel
Despite the name, it wasn't actually beside a river.
Still, as the man had said, it was hidden between larger buildings and difficult to spot.
At least it was a five-story building, which suggested there should be plenty of rooms.
"That's it, right?"
"Looks like it."
Still mounted on their bicycles, Yeongwoo and Yechan approached the entrance.
The system had talked about room rentals, but nothing about the exterior seemed special.
The only unusual thing was a faint movement visible through the frosted glass doors.
Does the owner live here too?
They couldn't leave bicycles loaded with supplies outside.
Keeping hold of his bike, Yeongwoo opened the door.
Jingle.
The bell above the entrance rang.
And at that exact moment—
Whoosh!
"...!"
A sharp sound cut through the air.
At the same time, the holographic instructor of the Gumi Swordsmanship Technique shifted into a defensive stance.
「Your Sense stat has temporarily increased from 100 to 122.」
What kind of lunatic—
A stolen Sense value of 22 meant the attacker's original Sense was 44.
In other words, if they had started as a low-grade human, they had accumulated a massive amount of Karma.
Otherwise...
They're probably a high-grade human. First or second rank.
Either way, ambushing someone on sight was unforgivable.
Yeongwoo drew Early Bird at unbelievable speed and deflected the attack.
Ping!
A sword hilt flew into the air from the opposite side of the doorway.
Almost simultaneously, someone screamed and collapsed backward.
"A-AAAGH!"
The moment he heard it, Yeongwoo threw the glass door wide open to secure his view.
"GAAAAAH!"
The source of the scream was a man in his early twenties.
Yeongwoo looked back and forth between the grotesquely twisted right hand and the one-handed sword embedded beneath the motel counter.
"Ah."
His counterattack had been so powerful that it hadn't merely knocked away the weapon.
It had shattered the hand holding it.
Come to think of it, my Strength is over 300 now.
His starting Strength had only been 19.
He was essentially superhuman.
The only reason he could still handle everyday objects or ride a bicycle normally was because he had lived as an ordinary person until barely half a day ago.
He still remembered how much force daily life required.
But if he ever lost that sense, accidents like this would become inevitable.
"Good grief."
Yechan entered behind him and frowned at the sight of the young man sprawled on the floor.
"Ugh... Guhhh!"
The ambusher continued making dying noises.
Yeongwoo searched his pockets first.
As expected, he had no money.
Which meant he had arrived early and was preparing to rob people.
The next logical step would be to kill him.
Instead, Yeongwoo asked:
"What rank are you? What role? Extra? Supporting character?"
That question postponed the man's death.
"Guh... Ugh!"
With a shattered wrist, however, there was no way he could answer coherently.
He was too busy screaming.
So eventually—
Stab!
"AAAAAAAH!"
Yeongwoo's Early Bird pierced the man's thigh.
It was torture, intended to force his attention.
"M-Mister?! Why would you do that?!"
Yechan jumped in shock and tried to stop him.
The man had attacked first, yes.
But torture seemed unnecessary.
Yeongwoo, however, had his reasons.
If he wanted to understand what kind of person his mother—a First-Rank Supporting Character—really was, he needed to investigate other high-grade humans.
"What rank are you? What role? Tell me that and I'll either spare you or kill you quickly. Your choice."
"Y-You psycho!"
The young man tried to spit at him but stopped when he saw Yeongwoo tighten his grip on Early Bird.
"W-Wait! I'm... First Rank. First-Rank Extra."
"First Rank?"
Yeongwoo's eyes widened.
He really was a high-grade human.
"Then what's your profession?"
"I... don't have one."
"You're unemployed? Then what about your parents?"
The young man's expression changed instantly.
As if he had become a completely different person.
"You killed them."
"What?"
"You killed them! You parasites!"
This was more than simple anger.
The sheer rage and grief in his voice made the surrounding air seem to boil.
His parents had probably been high-grade humans too.
And judging by his reaction, they had been targeted and erased through public voting.
"What are you trying to pull now? Just kill me too!"
He no longer seemed capable of rational thought.
Still, regardless of what had happened to his family during the Reset, he had planned to murder whoever entered the motel.
Seeing no point in continuing the conversation, Yeongwoo granted his request.
He swung Early Bird.
Slash!
A red line crossed the man's neck.
His head separated from his body in an instant.
Thud.
The severed head hit the floor with a wet sound.
Yechan, who had witnessed everything, turned pale.
For a high school student, it was too cruel and bizarre a scene.
The man he considered an ally had tortured someone for information.
The victim's parents had already been erased by the public.
Only now did Yechan realize how horrifying the world truly was.
"Is... is this really right?"
Looking at the severed head, Yechan spoke quietly.
Yeongwoo tilted his head.
"What? You mean because I didn't kill him immediately?"
He genuinely didn't understand what Yechan was troubled by.
As a result, Yechan had no answer.
He didn't fully understand it himself.
Was it Yeongwoo, becoming less human by the minute?
Or was the world itself the problem?
"...Never mind."
Shaking his head, Yechan gestured for them to continue.
Yeongwoo looked unconvinced but moved on.
「01:16:32」
The fog timer indicated they had just over an hour remaining.
If there were no vacant rooms here—or if some other problem prevented them from staying—they would have to race off on their bicycles and find another shelter.
Or we fail completely, rent some random room, and wake up with our throats slit during the night.
Avoiding the pool of blood spreading across the lobby floor, Yeongwoo and Yechan crossed the room.
Then they climbed the staircase.
The lights were off, leaving everything dark.
Yet a bluish glow seeped down from above.
The higher they climbed, the brighter their surroundings became.
"...What is it this time?"
"Who knows? I doubt another demon is waiting for us."
With Early Bird firmly in hand, Yeongwoo slowly advanced.
Finally—
Both of them reached the second floor.
And they discovered the source of the blue light.
The motel room doors themselves were glowing softly.
It was an incredibly surreal sight.
But remembering their limited time, Yeongwoo headed toward a room at the end of the corridor.
Room 208.
As he approached, the blue glow around the doorframe deepened.
Then a familiar interface appeared.
「Would you like to use the Room Rental Service?」
[Riverside Motel Room 208]
Space: Small
Facilities: Bathroom
Rental Fee: 3,000 Karma
Duration: Until 10:00 AM tomorrow
「How many guests will be staying? Please enter the number.」
A holographic keypad appeared.
Yeongwoo thought for a moment.
Then reached out his hand.