Chapter 78: Crying Counts as Time Too!

Lu Ce’s grip kept tightening. Blood had already started seeping from Beom In’s wrist where he was being held. His flesh was crushed against the bone like it was about to be shattered by force.

“Ah!! aaaaaa!”

Beom In kept screaming. Fear had completely taken over his mind, leaving him with nothing but meaningless shrieks.

He deeply regretted agreeing to participate in this Game.

It had nothing to do with him in the first place. Park Bu Seong was the one challenging for first place—why was he the one getting hurt?

The moment he saw the Exit Token fall to the ground, he felt in his heart that he was completely finished.

Kim I Ru, although no one knew exactly what had happened to him, at least managed to leave the Game alive and keep his life.

What about me?!

His nearly thirty years of life started flashing before his eyes like a slideshow. He hadn’t even been injured yet, and here he was already reminiscing, like he was waiting to die.

Beom In: ?

What the hell does this mean?!

Did my hand get crushed already?

That bloody, mangled image flashed in his mind, and Beom In turned his head in hopeless despair to look at his hand—only to find...

Lu Ce had released his clamp-like grip and wasn’t applying any more pressure.

Beom In froze for a moment, almost feeling like he’d cheated death. But right then, a low voice sounded beside his ear.

“...What the hell are you screaming for?”

Lu Ce, still pressing down on him, looked a bit dumbfounded too.

Why could a grown man scream so miserably? He couldn’t understand it. The guy’s screams even managed to calm the rage burning in his own chest a little.

I haven’t even said I was going to do anything yet—what’s with this reaction...

I just grabbed his wrist, didn’t even break it. This is nothing like the enemy I imagined.

Lu Ce had expected to run into a classic dumb little villain—someone who would start trash-talking after being pinned, then struggle and fight back, only to get slapped to death in the end.

But what he got was... this cowardly wreck...

What Lu Ce didn’t realize was how terrifying he looked right now. Surrounded by an aura of fury, the pale green Wrath Mask made him look like a blue-faced fanged demon straight out of Hell.

Beom In looked up at Lu Ce’s mask—and let out another miserable shriek for no reason: “Ah!!”

Lu Ce: ?

Do I look that ugly or something?

To Beom In, what he saw wasn’t a man—it was a drooling, blue-faced, fanged beast, and he was just a dish laid out on the table in front of it.

He’s gonna kill me!

He’s gonna eat me!!

Veins popped on Beom In’s forehead. Those were the only two thoughts running through his brain, over and over. He couldn’t think at all.

The moment the Exit Token left his hand, he felt like he had already seen his great-grandma.

“No! Don’t kill me! I was just running for my life, I didn’t even try to hurt you!”

“Park Bu Seong was the one who challenged you, not me! Not me, I have no interest in being first place!”

“Please, I’m begging you, spare me. Killing me won’t benefit you at all, right?”

“I’ve got an eighty-year-old mother at home, and a...”

Lu Ce: ......

Honestly, looking at this kind of contestant, he felt a little numb. It was almost comical how pathetic the guy was.

Before, he thought this guy had strong survival skills and might be a pro—but now, it was clear he just dumped all his stat points into staying alive out of fear.

“Heh...”

Lu Ce gave a helpless chuckle and hoisted him up, propping him against the wall. To be able to make Wrath Mask Lu Ce laugh—Beom In could be considered a rare talent.

Lu Ce spoke:

“I’m gonna ask you a few questions.”

Just asking questions, that’s all. But Lu Ce’s earlier chuckle nearly made Beom In wet himself. Why the hell are you laughing at a time like this!?

His whole body trembled, and he didn’t even catch what “Sin” had just said. He just kept babbling:

“Don’t... don’t kill me, we can talk this out.”

“I taste terrible, and I’m not edible...”

Seeing him like this, Lu Ce didn’t waste time. He patted Beom In’s shoulder and asked:

“This place... there’s a lot of ‘things’ around, right? The kind you can’t see or touch.”

“Can you tell me what that’s about?”

Maybe to avoid scaring him too much, Lu Ce’s voice was calm—very gentle, as he added:

“If you don’t give me an answer within ten seconds, I’ll shove your head into your pelvis!”

“I’m quick with my hands. It won’t hurt.”

In that case, your top and bottom heads could finally be reunited...

“Ah!!!!”

Beom In, who had just barely calmed down, instantly snapped. Only one line echoed in his ears: this guy was going to crush him to death!

He burst into wailing again—but his crying was half-*ssed. Loud, yes, but not a single tear fell.

Boom!

Lu Ce kicked the wall right next to his head, annoyed.

“Crying?! Crying counts as time too!”

“I’m counting to ten!”

“One!”

“Ten!”

With that, Lu Ce directly whipped out his Hell Roar.

“No no no! What about the eight numbers in the middle! Let me think!”

Beom In lunged forward and hugged Lu Ce’s leg.

“Yes, it’s mine, it’s my doing. If you’re sensing a lot of things, they’re probably all my Spirit Forms.”

“Spirit Forms?” Lu Ce asked back.

“Yeah, like this and that, and that and this...”

As he spoke, Beom In started rattling off his entire ability like he was beating a rhythm, afraid that leaving anything out would get him killed on the spot by “Sin.”

Lu Ce just listened, stunned.

“Spirit Forms, huh? Can you take them back?”

“No, really can’t. They’ll only disappear once I leave the area,” Beom In blurted out, hoping desperately the guy would let him go. Once he left, those things would be gone too...

“Can’t? That’s perfect.” As he said this, a smiling face appeared once again on the Wrath Mask.

Honestly, this Beom In had triggered the Wrath Mask’s “smile” expression more times than anyone else.

Perfect?

Beom In was confused. Suddenly, his shoulder was seized, and Lu Ce pinned him against the wall.

“Did you study hard in school?”

“Read more books.”

What?

Before Beom In could react, a gray book appeared in front of him. It seemed to carry a strange magic—once you looked at it, it was hard to look away. It was mesmerizing.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the cover title—Confessions of the Disillusioned.

Amidst that entrancing gray, the cover of the book slowly opened to the first page.

In that instant, Beom In felt like his life had been a complete failure. In front of the strongest Player, he was like an ant. Maybe it was better to just die here. He didn’t want to live anymore.

At the same time, an unending string of high-pitched, unidentifiable wails echoed through the Gymnasium—like the cries of ghosts and monsters.