The smiling face of Park Deokgu seemed very transparent to me. I roughly knew what he was thinking.
He seemed to think that I now felt a lot more refreshed. I believe his intention was to distract me with an entirely different set of feelings, this time, romantic. However, this was not a good thing for me.
Because his solution came in the form of a trembling girl in my arms.
"Oppa..."
During the time I've known Park Deokgu, I could tell that he hardly thought about himself. He would soon rather focus on the welfare of others than even his own body odor.
Perhaps if Kim Hyunsung had not arrived in time, he would not have been doing that for hours.
"You are here."
He came a little later than I originally thought. In fact, I expected him to arrive earlier than Hayan.
He looked relieved to see us all in one piece. However, the battle with Jung Jin-ho wasn't as easy as it looked, what with his clothes being slightly burned, as well as the small stab mark on his cheek.
Kim Hyunsung had the specs that could warrant him being called a monster, but Jung Jin-ho was also not far from him.
'Monsters.'
However, it was probably one-sided. No matter how long Jung Jin-ho flew, the difference between their basic stats and experience was clear.
Only the variables in magic could have made a difference.
Looking at Hyunsung's expression, it seemed that Jung Jin-ho was no longer alive.
"The others..." he trailed off. This was a slightly sensitive question.
Before Hayan could open her mouth to speak, I hurried to talk.
"I killed them."
"Ah."
Of course, I wasn't going to accuse Jung Hayan of being a murderer here. It was a cleaner choice to admit to even her kills at this point than have her wallow in regret for what she did.
Kim Hyunsung was a guy who had a tendency to be a bona fide mediator, but he knew better than me that he shouldn't keep these people alive.
"Jung Jin-ho..."
At my slight prodding, he nodded without saying anything.
Park Deokgu's expression was a little gloomy, and I was sure my and Hayan's faces would have sported similar expressions.
The whole party felt a little daunting overall.
Of course, in the case of Jung Hayan, it was a little different, but it was natural to assume that she'd be depressed by the shock of her first murder.
Eventually, Kim Hyunsung nodded and opened his mouth, "It was necessary."
This trusted party leader had begun to take care of his colleagues' mentality.
"I know..."
"I seemed to have been aiming for this from the beginning. It is not known how they took over Seok-woo, but it seems that Seok-woo also joined their plan in the middle of it. Perhaps if we were successfully targeted, those in the shelter would not have been safe either."
"..."
"It may be difficult, but I want you to know that you did the right thing."
"Well..."
"You did the right thing. Maybe this will become more frequent in the future. This place we are in is just a tutorial and it might be harsher outside. It must have been difficult, but no one will criticize this decision. Not only now, but also in the future. I don't know if this comforts you, but... I hope you overcome it."
