Chapter 6
Kim Jeonghyeon entered the temporary shelter with a few others.
Normally, he never lost his composure and always wore a warm, gentle smile.
But now, a cold smile hung on his face.
“Ha… this is really interesting. I’ve never felt like this before.”
“Th-This… isn’t this a serious problem? I never imagined something like this would happen….”
“The problem isn’t just that bastard…! At this rate, he might even steal all the points we were going to collect from those old people sitting over there—”
Tap.
“Urgh……!”
Kim Jeonghyeon placed a hand on Lee Seokgwan.
“Seokgwan-ssi, you should choose your words properly.”
His voice remained gentle.
“Collecting points? How could you describe the donations we gathered for everyone that way?”
Their eyes met.
Lee Seokgwan’s body flinched.
There wasn’t even the slightest trace of emotion on Kim Jeonghyeon’s face.
“If you understand, nod your head.”
His voice sank coldly.
Lee Seokgwan gulped.
Eventually, he slowly nodded.
Only then did Kim Jeonghyeon regain his smile.
Swoosh.
“Good. I hope you’ll be more careful from now on.”
His smile deepened.
“What would we do if our Hyeona misunderstood because of something like this? You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
“…Y-Yes. I understand….”
Kim Hyeona, who had remained silent while lost in thought, carefully opened her mouth.
“…Sunbae, what are you planning to do from now on?”
She hesitated.
“The things you said earlier too… You’re acting so… different.”
“Different…?”
Kim Jeonghyeon tilted his head.
“Isn’t that only natural? This isn’t the world we used to live in anymore.”
“…What?”
“You saw it too.”
His smile faded slightly.
“You saw how people died.”
Kim Hyeona fell silent.
“In the end, someone has to step forward.”
He calmly continued.
“Right now, that person just happens to be me.”
Flinch.
For an instant, Kim Hyeona felt something indescribably chilling from the expression Kim Jeonghyeon showed her.
She found it difficult to meet his eyes.
“Hyeona, you understand me, don’t you?”
His voice was gentle.
“Everything I’m doing is for you… no, for all of us.”
“……”
The two of them had attended the same academies and schools ever since childhood.
Kim Hyeona had vaguely noticed it before.
Kim Jeonghyeon possessed a side that was distinctly different from ordinary people.
She knew what he was doing now wasn’t entirely right.
Yet she couldn’t easily say that aloud.
No.
She simply couldn’t.
Because in this place, Kim Jeonghyeon was the only person she knew.
“…So what are you planning to do?”
She eventually asked.
“For the time being, we can manage if we work a little harder, but even that will only last for so long.”
Seeing Hyeona finally give in, Kim Jeonghyeon smiled in satisfaction.
As if telling her not to worry anymore, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry.”
He smiled.
“For now, I’m planning to solve things by talking to him.”
His expression was calm.
“The person everyone needs the most right now is Lee Janghyeok-ssi.”
“…And if talking doesn’t work?”
Kim Jeonghyeon’s smile became faint.
“If he refuses to listen… then things might have to change.”
His voice lowered.
“If we keep sitting around doing nothing forever, everyone will die.”
He stared directly at her.
“Me, you, and everyone else.”
Then he asked softly.
“You understand what I mean, right?”
She was still young and mentally immature.
And on top of that, Kim Jeonghyeon possessed a Trait that made his words more persuasive.
The word everyone became an unbearable burden that Kim Hyeona couldn’t simply ignore.
“…I understand.”
She lowered her head.
“I’ll go outside now.”
Kim Jeonghyeon smiled as he watched her leave.
However—
The moment she disappeared, his expression hardened.
Coldly.
As though he had become an entirely different person.
“Where is he right now?”
“T-That… he went deeper into the forest.”
The man hesitated.
“M-Maybe he discovered something…?”
It was a meaningful suggestion.
Kim Jeonghyeon thought for a moment.
Then he grinned and spoke to the others remaining inside.
“The moment he comes back, bring him here.”
His smile deepened.
“We should at least have a conversation.”
Then, as though remembering something—
“Ah, and one more thing.”
Everyone turned toward him.
“Start secretly gathering people right now.”
“Y-Yes. We’ll do that.”
Meanwhile, I had temporarily left the base and entered a deserted part of the forest.
Leon, who had been circling around my shoulder, kept pestering me.
[ You can hear me, so stop pretending you can’t, nya! Why did you laugh when you looked at me earlier, nya?! Tell me while I’m still asking nicely, nya! ]
“When did I laugh at you? Don’t imagine things.”
My response only seemed to make him angrier.
He started punching my shoulder with his tiny fists.
Press.
Press.
Press!
[ Kyaaah! You’re seriously annoying, nya! Taste my Nyan-Nyan Punch, nya! ]
…No one should come this far into the forest.
There was a simple reason I had deliberately waited for Leon after he was summoned by his superiors.
I needed Leon.
Not as a companion—
But as a helper.
[ Does it hurt, nya? Even if you beg me to stop, I won’t forgive you, nya! ]
He might look like a useless, adorable cat right now, but he actually had some ability.
The problem was that no matter what he did, his superior, Uji, always stole the credit for his achievements.
He must have accumulated plenty of resentment because of that.
And he must desperately want to escape from his low-ranking position.
That was exactly the weakness I intended to exploit.
“Why are you following me around?”
I glanced at him.
“Aren’t you the one with some hidden motive?”
Flinch.
[ W-What are you talking about, nya…? I-I don’t know what you mean, nya. Haha… ha… ]
He awkwardly laughed while scratching the back of his head.
His tail wouldn’t stay still.
Just from his expression alone, anyone could tell that he was panicking.
“For example…”
I deliberately paused.
“Maybe your superiors ordered you to keep an eye on me.”
[ Th-That’s not true, nya…! Y-You! You should stop suspecting people for no reason, nya…! ]
He desperately tried to change the subject.
It was useless.
“You’re surprisingly relaxed for someone who might lose even his current position to Uji.”
[ H-How do you know that—?! ]
We were the leading actors and supporting actors of a play.
The Administrators were the cameramen.
And the audience—
Were those countless stars I had seen before my regression.
The beings known as Constellations.
Just as audiences paid money to watch a performance, the Constellations paid money to the Administrators.
And naturally, that money was—
Coins.
Now that an overwhelmingly powerful Player had appeared, the Tutorial Floor would naturally attract plenty of attention.
An Administrator’s performance evaluation depended on whether they managed to focus the camera on that Player.
“Didn’t Uji chew you out earlier too?”
I continued casually.
“Something like asking if you had lost your mind?”
Leon’s eyes widened.
[ A-Are you a fortune-teller, nya?! You weren’t even there! How do you know, nya?! ]
Whenever someone from below started rising, those above naturally tried to suppress them.
Leon was in exactly that position.
“Low-Ranking Administrator Leon.”
I stared at him.
“Are you planning to live the rest of your life pathetically, letting others steal every achievement you make?”
Leon went silent.
[ …Just what are you, nya? How does a mere Player know information like that, nya? ]
Even if I offered Leon a deal right now, there was no chance he would accept immediately.
The moment an Administrator colluded with a Player, his career as an Administrator would be over.
So—
I had to create a situation where he had no choice but to accept.
When negotiating a contract, the first thing you needed was to put yourself in a more advantageous position than the other party.
The moment Leon reached a situation where he had no choice but to accept my terms—
