7 Chapter 7 - Outside(1)

[First Arrival Privilege]

[Choose one item from before your death.]

[Bonus Rewards is being generated]

It was dark and completely black before colours started to appear like a paint brush dyeing the whole world.

The sensation of falling continued until their feet registered the soft green grasses on the ground.

Liu Jeemin made a slight gasp as his feet softly landed on the ground, but immediately acted indifferent, like nothing can suprise him contrary to the suprise gasps the rest of the group made.

"As expected, there are rewards for being the first to leave."

He muttered while glancing at the group, with the intention to make them hear what's he's saying.

[Pick one: Rope, Condom, Cellphone]

This...

His faced was weird as he examined his choices.

Of all the things useful here, only rope seemed to be useful. But that's not to say condom can't be use as a water container. But... did I really have that on my pocket before I died?

"Guys, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Jin Hyoon asked as she scanned the group for reactions.

"My choices were bottled water, empty bag, and multi-purpose knife. I think the message earlier said we are rewarded one item before our death. I'm wondering if you receive the same message too."

"Yes, mine are, a bullet, grass, and rock. I don't think grass and rock is useful, even bullet is useless without a gun."

Claire Williams' face was dark as she spoke.

"My choices are keyboard, paper, and pencil. Hoh, mine's useless too."

"Uhmm . . . Mine are stethoscope, tissue, and paper."

Sasaki Seiji and Li Jing answered.

"What about you Dmitri? It's fine if you don't want to tell us."

Jin Hyoon felt a bit apprehensive about Dmitri, there was a chilling air around him as he briefly glanced at her.

"Knife. Nothing else."

Dmitri coldly showed the knife in his left arm.

"Can I keep this right?"

"... Sure why not?"

Jin Hyoon immediately replied.

Liu Jeemin walked forward and said, "It seems that we can delay choosing an item. I'll delay choosing mine in preparation for situations where useless items could be useful."

"What's yours?"

Jun Hyoon asked.

Looking at their sharp curious gazes like saying, "we've told you ours, so tell us yours." His hesitation only existed for a moment.

*Cough*

"Rope, cellphone, and .... con...plastic."

While trying to keep a straight face, he brushed aside the topic quickly and mentioned the other reward.

[Bonus Rewards: Basic Necessities]

[You've received Potato x3, Bottled water x3, Small Dimensional Pouch x1, Match box x1, Delay-hunger Pills x1, Loaf Bread x3, Special Bandage x1.]

Six small brown pouch appeared out of nowhere in front of them.

The rest of group gasped at the sight, still unused by the strange things happening in this place, except Liu Jeemin who was inwardly curbing his excitement by calming his trembling hands reaching for the pouch.

*

Is this heaven?

A curious and bright eyes stared at the scenery before her in awe.

Gigantic trees, chirping birds, clear blue sky, and refreshing air filled her view.

As she marvelled at the forest before her, the trees that almost reach the heavens, trunks that can't even be hugged by seven people connecting to each other, and the green landscape brimming with vitality, she thought this was heaven.

Hmmm?

Liu Jeemin saw a beautiful young girl, with long black hair, wearing a pink blouse, peeking like a squirrel behind a trunk.

"Someone seemed have followed us."

Claire Williams said as she followed Liu Jeemin's eyes.

He approached the young girl slowly, afraid of startling her.

"Would you like to join us?" he bent down as he offered his hand.

"Is it... okay?"

The girl hesistantly asked as her eyes quivered.

"Why not? The more the merrier." he lowered his facemask a little to show his smile.

"Mind telling us your name?"

Showing kindness would help my position be cemented, if I turn this young girl away, I'd only appear as a merciless selfish bastard.

"Uhmm . . I'm Rheena."

"Beautiful name. Come," Liu Jeemin beckoned, "I'll introduce you to them."

He put his facemask back, covering his face, as he turned towards the group, while holding the young girl's hand.

"I don't think anyone's going object my little friend here in joining?"

Friend? Rheena thought in fluster.

"Her name is Rheena, say hi to them Rheena, just a wave would be fine."

Liu Jeemin said as he look at her as warmly as possible.

"Rheena, do you mind me asking, did you also receive rewards after leaving the hall? It's okay if you don't want to tell us, I'm just a curious friend here."

Friend? Rheena thought again but with different emotion.

"Umm . . . No . . . I mean yes, I was given a pouch with a match box inside."

"Oh, so you've left a little later than us. Hmm, here."

Since he already included her into the group, she is already part of his responsibility. Being able to show not only kindness but thoughtfulness on the surface, would further solidify his role as a leader, or so he thought.

He handed her a bottled water, loaf bread, and a potato.

"Tell me if it's not enough, I still have food here." He said as his eyes were brimming with warmth.

"Can I re..receive this?"

She stammered as Liu Jeemin put them to her hands.

"Of course, you're part of us now. Put it inside your pouch."

Liu Jeemin felt something strange nudged at his heart, but suppressed it by thinking he was doing it with an ulterior motive.

But he never knew how much impact his words brought to the young girl.

Mother, I made friends. Are you watching me?

As Liu Jeemin stood up, Rheena held his arm while her blooming smile enlightened the atmosphere of the group.

*

Liu Jeemin and others decided to find a place to rest in the forest while exploring it.

The one who brought this idea was Jin Hyoon, who was experienced in camping. For a moment, Jeemin had the notion that she was the one leading them, not him.

He could only smile wryly at his uselessness while stuffing a piece of loaf bread in Rheena's mouth.

It couldn't be helped, seeing that bulging cheeks filled with bread made him uncontrollably enamored by her cuteness.

He never had a little sister. In fact, there were times that he wished he had. Playing the role of the big brother kicking suitors' butt, defending her little sister with his life on the line was something he occasionally imagined doing.

But if that was in reality, it might have been the opposite. Considering how useless and inconsistent he was, he might have shunned away her own sister from his ever changing behaviour.

Just like a fleeting season, even the care he felt for the people around him disappeared like smoke. When his step father died, he even forced himself to shed some tears, afraid of being seen as a heartless person.

That's how society was, they treat people who doesn't care about anything like dregs. But that's a given, and he understood that. It's just, he never wished to be born that way.

But with Rheena's cuteness all those thoughts went away like smoke, like the dark clouds in the sky.

Dark sky?

As Rheena was clinging in his left arm, he looked up. The sky was still blue with the white clouds moving at a snail's pace.

"Uhhmm.. I haven't ask for your name yet, are they calling you captain?" she asked as her bright eyes looked up at him.

"That's right. Just call me nee-chan."

Hehehe.

He nodded at her while giving her a pat. He didn't even notice that the act that he was supposed to play as an indifferent leader, was shoved away.

"Amazing! They're following you? A captain that leads his fellow loyal sailors into an expedition?"

"Not exactly like that, but..." Liu Jeemin could only nod his head in helplessness.

"And you're kind too. Can I call you oppa?" Her bright twinkling eyes was staring at him cutely.

What about nee-chan? He inwardly grumbled.

"Fine, do whatever you want," he said as he examined the forest from time to time while wondering how he was supposed to be useful and how to make this life more different from his previous shitty life.

Even now he could feel his pulsing heart, pounding heavily, like telling him everything is pointless. The more he stayed idle; the more the environment is idle, the more his sense of pointlessness consumed him.

That's not even accounting if he ever felt useless, and as the reality reflected how worthless he was.

He unconsciously gripped Rheena's hands when he felt like he was drowning in sorrow again.

"Oppa, why do you look sad?" the little girl looked up with her innocent deep brown eyes reflecting Jeemin's gloomy eyes staring at her.

He sighed inwardly.

"No I'm not," he avoided her gaze and pretended to appreciate the forest before him.

She tightened her grip on his arm as she said, "But Oppa you. How about this, I'll sing a song for you. My mom said singing for someone will make them happy."

She remembered her father's warm smile as he caressed her mother singing a lullaby.

Hearing her beautiful voice, he couldn't help but listen closely. Although the song was a little sad, it has this charm of calming the soul.

After she finished singing, he patted her head as he praised, "Beautiful." Her bright eyes looked at him like she was asking for more praises.

"Okay, okay, very beautiful. You really have a wonderful voice." His eyes were tinged with sadness, wondering how this cute innocent little girl died in the previous world.

Like a spark inside his heart, he suddenly felt like he had someone to protect. It was the first time he had this feeling.

'Is it possible for me to really want to live?'

When he shook his head at this thought, he caught a glimpse of a worn out brown leather vest lying near a tree, it was camouflaged with the grasses around it and yellow-brown ground.

He bent down and picked up the worn out poor leather vest. The vest has some scratches resembling claws and some holes that looked like it was torn apart by sharp teeth.

When he put the vest in his pouch to examine it later, he suddenly felt like he had forgotten about something important.

Then, a sudden realization struck him when he dazedly halted for a moment.

Now that they already left the hall, he should and could give the status window a try again.

As he was about to make the status window to appear, Jin Hyoon and Claire Williams suddenly shouted who were several meters away from him.

"Captain, I found tattered clothes and torn leather vests here."

"Same here, there are literally hundreds of them on the ground. I accidentally stepped on one, when I inspected it closely and saw brown spots, although it was already colour brown, I determined that it was dried up blood stains."

After Claire Williams and Jin Hyoon spoke, Sasaki Seiji suddenly let out a shrill cry.

"Human bones!"

As Jeemin turned towards the location where Sasaki Seiji shouted, he felt Li Jing's gaze. When he looked at Li Jing, he found her directing her eyes towards the sky.

Awhile ago there were chirping and tweeting birds dancing around, but now the forest looked like it suddenly stood still. Even the wind blowing became chillingly cold.

The lights passing through the gaps between the leaves of the trees illuminating the forest suddenly went dimmed.

What he saw when he lifted his head up, following Li Jing's gaze, was ominous dark clouds looming in the sky.

As a lightning flashed lighting up the heavens, a reverberating thunderous roar shook the hearts of the party.

Then suddenly...

--

[New task has been updated]

[The Forest of Labyrinth has been activated]

Information: Unavailable

Task: Reach the end of the Forest of Labyrinth.

Difficulty: Tutorial

Time limit: 3 days.

Failure: Become the fertilizer.

Rewards: 1000 credits, basic equipments, Universal Points +1.

Constraints: Proneness to Hunger is Increased.

[Time remaining 71hr:00m.]

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