The Crimson Flame Witch and Death

The 100 heroes who represent humanity.

S-rank players.

Their divine might can cleave the heavens and shake the earth.

They can blow away a small mountain with a single strike or split the sea in two.

That was the kind of monster awarded the title of S-rank.

Of course, a very small number of people, including the Saintess, couldn't display such divine might, but generally speaking, that's what it meant.

In that respect, I was a little excited.

"But what's with this shorty hobbit?"

"…Shorty hobbit?"

S-rank mage, the Crimson Flame Witch.

S-rank assassin, Death.

The two beings glared at each other with open hostility. For reference, S-ranks rarely fought one another. They knew that even if they fought, the losses would be severe.

Even when they did fight, they arranged a separate place for it, and the results were usually never made known to the outside world.

'What kind of fight will they show us?'

So I was a little excited.

It was the sort of feeling where I couldn't help looking forward to them fighting and falling out, even though I knew it would sour the party's atmosphere.

"Hey, stop blocking the way and move aside. Before I bring your height down to elementary-school level."

The Crimson Flame Witch made the first move.

Lee Sera immediately shot back.

"Don't wanna, Auntie."

"What…?"

"Oppa, who's this auntie? She's really ugly."

That one remark was enough.

"Who are you calling ugly?! You elementary-school brat! Are you seriously insane?!"

"Hey, hey, calm down."

I barely managed to stop Shin Seoyeon, who was instantly furious and threatening to kill her.

"Do I look calm right now? And what do you mean, auntie?"

"She probably just said it without thinking."

Lee Sera raised a hand and pointed at Han Sohee and the Saintess in turn.

"Cool big sis. Big-chested big sis."

Then her finger pointed toward Shin Seoyeon.

"Ugly auntie."

Twitch.

I stepped between Lee Sera and Shin Seoyeon again. Shin Seoyeon screamed and raged that she would burn Lee Sera to death.

"Calm down. She's joining our party from now on."

"Huh? Who decided that? Why are we dragging around someone so short and flat-chested that you can't even tell whether they're a man or a woman? I'm sure they'll be incredibly useful!"

A vein popped out on Lee Sera's forehead, and she immediately shot back.

"Good grief, what a temper. This auntie really has a nasty personality. Every time Oppa says something, she objects. Oppa, you know that if you have a girlfriend like this, she'll drain all your money on dates and turn you into an ATM in no time, right?"

I winced.

"Bet she's the only one having fun in bed while Oppa does all the damn work."

"Hey! H-how do you know that? Huh? Do you know how well I treat Minjun?! Huh?!"

"Oppa, if you marry a woman like this, she'll butcher you. Have you heard of a pong-pong man? Pong! Pong!"

Tremble.

She really wasn't afraid of anything.

She deliberately chose nothing but provocative words to poke at her, and they were incredibly effective against Shin Seoyeon, whose patience was short when it came to women.

"Fuck, I'll kill you!"

"Wow, she really blows up over a little truth bomb. Auntie's inferiority complex is something else."

KABOOM!

The fireballs finally began flying, and the main street started getting reduced to ruins. The people who had been slowly approaching to return to their lodgings screamed and ran even farther away.

The battle of the century between Death and the Crimson Flame Witch reached its climax when, after trading insults, one of them finally exploded.

Of course, leaving things like this wasn't a good option, so I shouted at Shin Seoyeon, who was hurling fireballs, and Lee Sera, who was desperately dodging them.

"Hey, enough. Can't you stop now?"

"Bullshit! Not until I burn that insolent elementary-school brat!"

"Auntie got caught trying to turn Oppa into an ATM. And we caught you being lousy in bed too."

Bang! Bang! KABOOM!

Well, um. I'm certain that the shelter residents who saw this today would never pick a fight with us again.

That aside, how was I supposed to calm them down?

As I pondered that, I remembered something the two of them had in common.

"I'm treating you to a proper dinner tonight, but if you fight, I'll leave you behind. For your information, the food there is incredibly delicious. Isn't that right, Ms. Hana?"

"Huh? Ah, yes! It's expensive, but the atmosphere is nice and the food is delicious!"

They both froze.

"Really…?"

"Oppa, what's on the menu there?"

Hmm, what was in the Second Shelter again?

I stroked my chin, then shrugged.

"Surely you'll eat whatever it is, whether it's tuna or beef."

"Tuna? Beef?"

"If you keep fighting, we'll go eat by ourselves."

When I started walking, both of them hurried after me as though they had never fought in the first place.

The Saintess tactfully slipped away, so one of them took up position on either side of me, each glaring at the other.

"Welcome. I count five guests. This way, please."

Even after entering the restaurant, the two continued their war of nerves.

"Hey, elementary-schooler. Do you even know how to eat at a place like this?"

"Why? Is an old auntie going to teach me?"

Even after entering the restaurant and sitting at the round table, the two continued fighting.

I had no choice but to sit between them instead of the Saintess.

"I will begin setting out the dishes."

Even so, once the food began to cover the table, the two of them stopped fighting as if by magic.

'Well, I suppose that's only natural.'

<Appetizers>

Premium beef carpaccio (38 points)

Bone marrow gratin (42 points)

Aged beef tartare (49 points)

That was just the price of the appetizers. The main dishes cost at least 200 to 300 points apiece.

They were foods other players couldn't afford even if they emptied their entire fortunes.

So what else could they do?

Shin Seoyeon and Lee Sera moved their hands frantically and devoured the food in a storm.

'Expensive food isn't always delicious, but when food costs that much, it at least clears a basic bar.'

Besides, hadn't we been unable to eat a proper meal in the trial area all this time?

Shin Seoyeon was eating to her heart's content when she met the Saintess's eyes and spoke with an expression overflowing with betrayal.

"Unni, did you two eat food this delicious by yourselves last time?"

"Ahaha, I'm sorry."

Of course, the restaurant back then and this restaurant were different.

The atmosphere, the waiters, and the menu were all different, but the conclusion was the same: the food was incredibly delicious.

I smiled contentedly as I watched my companions enjoy their meal.

"Seoyeon, is it good?"

"Do you have to ask?"

"What about Sohee and Sera?"

Han Sohee answered while savoring each bite with elegant poise.

"It suits my palate perfectly."

The satisfied smile on her face showed that she wasn't merely being polite; even a rich young lady's palate seemed to approve.

Chomp, chomp.

Lee Sera didn't even answer and simply kept eating. She only paused when the Saintess wiped food from around her mouth.

"Order more if you're hungry."

"Wow, really?"

"As expected, our Black Dick is the best!"

Honestly, spending points on something like this did feel wasteful.

It might have been better to save on food, equip ourselves with better gear, and spend our points more sensibly.

But I was human too,

and since I had both the desire to keep running toward the future and the desire to enjoy the present,

and especially because I wanted to take good care of the people who had entered my fold, I had no intention of being stingy when it came to food, at least.

After all, if the reason we entered the Selection Process and tried to survive wasn't simply to stay alive but to live a little more happily,

then I thought we needed to learn how to enjoy that happiness, however small, starting now.

'Of course, I can only do this because I've made a huge amount of money.'

If I were at the point where I had to worry about what I would eat tomorrow, I absolutely shouldn't be doing this.

One's spending should match one's income.

'Anyway, it's a rare feast, so let's enjoy it properly.'

And, as a bonus, keep a tight leash on these kids.

"But you two, don't fight. I'll pay for all your meals from now on, but if you don't listen, I'll leave you behind from that point on."

The two women looked at each other. More than looking, it felt as though they were glaring. How long did they glare at each other like that?

I called the waiter, took the menu, and casually placed it between them—or, more precisely, slid it onto the table in front of me.

After seeing the astronomical food prices, the two smiled brightly and shook hands as though nothing had happened.

"Let's get along from now on."

"Okay!"

And with that, the two stopped fighting.

I didn't know whether they only refrained from fighting when I was watching, but even if they fought outside my field of vision, they wouldn't take it far enough to become impossible to reconcile if they wanted to keep eating well like this.

After we finished our meal and were leaving, the Saintess opened her eyes wide and asked me,

"Huh? Aren't we doing anything today?"

"?"

The Saintess waved the [Summoner's Letter Envelope] I had given her. Ah, I nodded.

"The [Challenge] doesn't always open in the same place."

The location differed from shelter to shelter. It seemed this shelter's wasn't in the restaurant.

"Ah-ha."

"Let's head back."

We stepped outside the restaurant.

By then, the sun that had lit up the world had disappeared, and darkness had engulfed all directions as a quiet silence settled over everything.

Lights were on in a few of the buildings lining the street, but most of them were dark, holding a grayish hue.

It was like a country road at night.

'Yeah, this place is practically the countryside right now.'

The shelters continued to develop as we progressed.

The farther we advanced, the wider the streets became and the more buildings appeared. They grew larger and taller. Food prices rose, and various facilities were added.

Eventually, there would even be times when the streets stayed bright all night, like the nightscape of Seoul's bar district.

But not yet. The entire shelter was shrouded in darkness, and the darkness of the second shelter in particular was dangerous.

That was why there was no one on the streets. Everyone had returned to their lodgings.

'As expected, no one is picking a fight with us.'

That meant Shin Seoyeon's rampage had done the trick. Han Sohee, who had been keeping watch around us, relaxed and spoke.

"So are we going back to the lodgings now?"

"I suppose so. Why, are you disappointed?"

"It's not that I'm disappointed… After spending several days together, being alone in the lodging feels strange.

Ah, I understood what she meant.

After living together throughout the trial area, suddenly being alone in a cramped motel room was bound to bring various thoughts to mind.

'At first, being alone is so nice! But then a subtle emptiness comes creeping in.'

Of course, that was only a feeling one had when surrounded by trustworthy companions.

After going through trials marked by betrayal and death, people didn't want to step even one foot outside their lodgings.

Probably close to half the people who made it to the second shelter wouldn't leave their lodgings for that reason.

They would only creep out when it was time to leave, stop by the shop, and then move on.

"I can't sleep and I've got plenty of time, so instead of heading back, let's go hang out at Black Dick's place. How about it?"

"Hmm. Wouldn't that be imposing?"

Han Sohee glanced at me before answering Shin Seoyeon's suggestion.

"Hey, it's fine. You're coming too, right, sis?"

"Huh? Me? I-if Mr. Minjun is okay with it."

"The shorty… there's no need to ask her."

Lee Sera was hanging onto my back, kicking her feet in the air. I asked her incredulously,

"Aren't you asking me, the owner?"

"Come on, let's not quibble over such little details."

"……."

[Player Shin Seoyeon is trying to enter your lodging. Will you allow it?]

In the end, I ended up dragging the whole group into my lodging. I had no idea what we could possibly do at a man's lodging at this late hour, but I let them in without giving it much thought….

"Huh?"

The women who entered my lodging opened their eyes wide, then all began complaining and shouting at once.

"What the hell! Why is your lodging so much bigger than ours?!"

Ah, come to think of it, I had upgraded my lodging.