Chapter 30 : Adventure Level 20 (2)

Absurd.
What the hell is this all of a sudden?
The explorer who shot the ceiling with a pistol swung the muzzle toward the crowd.

“Why aren’t your hands up? I said hands up—don’t you know what hands are?”

The guy, who might be an explorer or a criminal, aimed the gun at an explorer near the stage and made subtle upward motions.
It seemed to mean “hands up.”
His appearance was sudden, but it didn’t look like he intended to shoot someone just as suddenly.

As the threatened explorer raised both hands, others who were stunned in surprise followed suit.
I also subtly raised both hands.
Coming to an offline meeting, I’m experiencing all sorts of things.
What was the hotel security doing that they couldn’t handle a guy with a gun until now?

Even though transporting firearms through System distribution is difficult, loopholes like disassembling, transporting, logging out, and reassembling exist, making a complete blockade tricky.
But that’s one thing—failing to respond is another.

The criminal guy’s companions ostentatiously pulled out pistols and aimed them at the crowd.
Ah, this is truly ridiculous.

The guy spoke.
“Now that things seem to have calmed down a bit, I’ll get to the point. I came here… ah, but there’s something I need to do first. Hey you. Uh, what do you call him?”

He pointed at a young staff member near the stage.
“Waiter?”
“Waiter? Not that. Ah, serving, serving. Anyway, you, come here.”

The staff member was dragged to the front of the stage.
“Since you all seem flustered and unaware, I have a warning. But how old are you? 21? So you’re employed? A university student? Ah, part-timer? They have part-timers for this too? Amazing. Let me ask one more thing—are you an explorer? No? That’s very fortunate.”

The guy nodded and then ruffled the staff member’s hair.
“Don’t be nervous—what could happen? Right? Back to the main point, I have a warning for you all. The truth is, while we’re doing this, you explorers can just log in and escape this situation cleanly, right? So!”

The guy aimed the gun at the part-timer.
“If any of you log in, this young man here will take the hit instead. I’ll shoot somewhere disabling—”
“Login!”

An explorer shouted and disappeared.
Silence fell.
The criminal guy blinked, looking stunned.
Then he looked at the part-timer.
“Threatening people is really hard, isn’t it? Why are you freaking out? Can’t be helped. If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. You might find being a hostage suits your aptitude after experiencing it.”

“Young Lady.”

Hearing a voice beside me, I looked over to see the security team leader had arrived.
When did he get here?
He managed to approach without attracting attention.

“Please log in.”

Should I?
Tempting.
The staff member is pitiful, but it can’t be helped.
Looking at Do Yugeon, he was watching with a subtle expression.
Hmm.

I spoke to the security team leader.
“That doesn’t seem right.”
“Logging in is the correct course of action. We will handle the situation, so please log in first.”
“I prefer another method.”
“This is an emergency situation—you must follow my instructions.”

Well, he’s the expert, so I should, but Do Yugeon is watching.
“Still.”

A gunshot rang out, followed by screams.
Looking at the stage, the staff member was clutching his knee.
Ugh.

Glancing subtly at Do Yugeon, his complexion was pale.
This is not good for emotional well-being.

“Isn’t there a solution?”
“Logging in is the safest option. If you don’t like that, how about observing the situation for now?”
“Still. By the way, I think we’re having the same conversation for the second time.”

I coughed briefly due to my cold, then added the interrupted words.
“Is it okay to talk like this?”

The security team leader made a thoughtful sound.
“Understood. Let’s do it. When I make my move, please get down on the floor as low as possible with your friend.”
“Please make it not bad for my mental health.”
“That is difficult.”

The security team leader pulled a mage robe from his clothes, put it on, and headed toward the stage.

[C-Grade/Marphinia of the Melopine Royal Workshop]

He was carrying around something I don’t even wear.

“Don’t you understand, reporter man? You have a laptop too. Just write it as news. Are you acting tough just because you’re an explorer? Don’t you feel sorry for the young man whose knee got shot? He’s about to get shot again. Yes, write this down.”

The criminal guy cleared his throat and continued.
“BNH, that is, Business Networking Hub, is recruiting explorers. Regardless of education, major, age, or experience. High income based on performance. Autonomous and flexible contracts. And what else was there.”

The guy spotted the approaching security team leader.
“Who is this fearless person? Threatening people is ridiculously difficult.”

Time to get down.
I pulled Do Yugeon down and, while at it, made the Necromancer beside me get down too.

The security team leader ignored the words, went to the side of the stage, and punched the guy.
What?

“Ugh!”

The boisterous criminal floated in the air for a moment before crashing onto the floor.
He wasn’t moving—seemed like he fainted.
What the.

Several gunshots rang out, bullets hammering the security team leader.
But the bullets were blocked by the mage robe and fell off.
The robe didn’t even have tears.
Was that a cheat item?

With each punch thrown, another gunman went down.
When the last guy tried to flee, the security team leader picked up one of the downed men and threw him.
He hit the target accurately.
Wow, the world has truly become strange.

The security team leader looked around at the people from the stage.
“There might be remnants hiding—just stay quiet. That will be better for everyone.”

As he spoke, his eyes briefly met mine.
Ah, right.
If there are remnants, it could be dangerous.

I nudged Do Yugeon.
“Let’s log in.”
“Now?”
“Yeah. It seems okay now, and just in case it’s dangerous. Let’s stay in the Preparation Room for a while until the situation calms down.”

Do Yugeon looked around.
Is there more to consider?
Looking around as well, I happened to spot the criminal guy crawling in a corner.
The one who was talking on stage.
When did he crawl over there?

The guy suddenly stood up, broke a window, and fled outside.
He’s got a bounty on his head now.
Well, the police will handle it.

“See? Unexpected things happen too. Let’s log in.”

Do Yugeon agreed, and we logged in together.
Feeling a subtle tension release, I sat down roughly on the Preparation Room floor.
Life isn’t easy.
Experiencing all sorts of things.
Even after reincarnating, I wonder if it’s really a good thing.
Not that I dislike it, but still.

Do Yugeon lay down beside me.
It probably wasn’t clean enough to lie down here.
Looking at the floor, I saw fine dust.
The System doesn’t clean.
Why doesn’t it do its job?

I coughed.
The environment is really bad for a cold.

I heard mumbling.
“Tired.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
“Wonder if the offline meeting is over.”
“Probably, don’t you think?”

The police would come, ambulances for the injured, so the atmosphere would likely lead to its cancellation, right?
Maybe not, but people would be tired, so many would likely leave.

Right now, I’m tired too and want to go home.
But I’m hungry.
The shooting started on stage before the meal properly began, so we couldn’t eat.
They must have been hungry too, yet they couldn’t wait and started shooting—were they thoughtless?
Seeing them shoot guns while talking about Business Networking Hub or whatever, it seems they really are thoughtless.
I’m hungry.

Come to think of it, from the hotel’s perspective, they have food waste disposal costs, so wouldn’t they try to serve the food even if the situation turned out like this?
Then, if we log out now, could we eat?
I don’t know.
It would be nice if they did.
The pre-dinner bread was mediocre, so expectations aren’t high, but it would be better than eating roughly outside.

Do Yugeon was silent, lost in thought, so I spaced out for a while.
Then, feeling enough time had passed, we logged out together.

Returning to the banquet hall, it was chaotic.
Waiters carrying food, people actually eating, others leaving tiredly, etc.
The police were also there, questioning the Federation head, and on the stage, a staff member was cleaning bloodstains.
It was a mess.
Still, it looked like we could eat.

“Let’s eat.”
“Here?”

Do Yugeon looked reluctant.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I am, but here is a bit…”
“Then eat outside?”

He nodded.
I’m hungry though.
Outside is cold, and my cough will probably act up.
But anyway, I agreed.

After being briefly stopped by the police, we left the hotel.
While walking and searching for a place to eat nearby, Do Yugeon headed toward a convenience store.

“Convenience store?”
“You don’t like it?”
“No. It’s fine.”

It’s good because we can eat quickly.
Taking out a microwaved lunchbox, I sat down on a chair.
The lunchbox was Hamburg steak.
Standard.

“About Level 25.”
“Huh?”

Looking at Do Yugeon, he seemed a bit down.
“If mobs appear in the city at Level 25, will I be able to handle it well?”

So that’s what he was thinking about all this time.
Needless worry.
If mobs appear, the right thing to do is leave it to the police and go home.

I considered replying like that, but we’ve had this conversation several times, it didn’t seem like the answer he wanted, and he looked down, so I refrained.

“You were overflowing with confidence—why the sudden change of heart?”
“A terror attack just happened at the hotel, and I couldn’t do anything.”

What is he talking about?

“That’s natural. We’re middle schoolers.”

Even setting aside being middle schoolers, it’s natural for even adults not to be able to handle such situations.

“But you did.”

What did I do?
I have no idea.

“You asked the bodyguard to handle it. And it was resolved.”
“But ultimately, I wasn’t the one who did it.”
“Besides that, you remained composed even when threatened with a gun upfront.”
“That was because the situation was so absurd that the bewilderment outweighed the fear. I was scared, though.”
“You were composed when talking to the bodyguard too. It wasn’t just me who thought so. Did you not notice the Necromancer lady staring blankly beside us?”

I didn’t notice because I wasn’t interested.

“I wasn’t calm inside, but it must have looked that way.”
“Your inner thoughts show clearly on your face.”

What?
No way.

Startled for a moment, I looked at him, and he quickly changed the subject.
“Not everything shows. Anyway, my point is, you were composed. I wasn’t. With abilities like these, can I really handle it well if mobs appear in the city?”

Do Yugeon stopped talking and ate his food.
I should comfort him somehow, but I can’t find the right words.

I wasn’t calm at all, but since he says so, I guess that’s how it appeared.
Actually, in that moment, Do Yugeon’s sense of crisis and mine couldn’t have been the same.
Because I had bodyguards, could log in if necessary, and though unlikely, if both failed, Dad would do something.
My value is extremely high—if they had any sense, would they really kill me? That mindset was also there.

Composure doesn’t come from mindset but from exit strategies.
Do Yugeon didn’t have one; I simply did.
Really, we’re still just middle schoolers—I don’t know why he’s worrying needlessly.

“Mr. Do Yugeon.”

He stopped eating and looked at me.
“Have we ever experienced something like what just happened before?”
“No.”
“Then it’s okay not to act as planned. Just processing the situation is overwhelming; having composure on top of that is difficult. Everything is like that at first.”
“But you were composed.”

I don’t know why he keeps mentioning me.

“Well, that’s because it’s me. Isn’t comparing excessive?”

He just shrugged his shoulders silently.
It’s not working.
I need to change the context of the conversation.

“Then, if you’re struggling because of difficult situations like just now, remember that I can help. I’ll always help if you want. I’ll be your safety net.”

Though the police come first.

Do Yugeon smiled.
“I don’t like that.”

Then what am I supposed to do?

As I stared at him, he kept smiling.
He relied on me just fine before…
It feels pointlessly disappointing.

Still, his mood seems to have improved, so maybe it doesn’t matter.
I continued eating.