The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 88

The next morning.

I ran into Kwon Jia again as I left early for the world of thoughts.

It was inevitable, since she had already taken over the world of thoughts she was going to, and all she had to do was wait at the entrance.

The entrance to the world of thoughts looked similar to the gate I used when I came to Earth.

A wall-like entrance stood above the frozen space that looked like translucent glass.

The entrance was spinning with thousands of pieces of white letters that seemed to be sucked in like a whirlpool.

Around it, there were only the association staff who checked the entry from a distance and the collectors who came and went from the world of thoughts.

There were hardly any collectors at this early hour, and there were no association people around the entrance, so it could be seen as a place for personal meetings.

“Hello.”

Kwon Jia looked no different today.

She wore a comfortable training suit for activity, and a sword on her back.

And her hair was still unkempt.

She was going to hunt fantasy creatures in such an outfit.

Was she confident in her skills, or did she not care?

‘Well. Hye-rim was like that at first.’

It was funny to say that I was like that back then for something that happened less than a month ago.

I greeted her with a smile.

“…”

As I greeted her, Kwon Jia paused for a moment and stared at me silently.

Her expression was hard to read, but her eyes, which glimpsed through her long bangs, were very intense.

But I felt a difference from our first meeting.

‘Her hostility seems to have diminished a bit since yesterday.’

Judging by her reaction, it was clear that she had some thoughts after I left.

“How have you been since yesterday, Jia? If you’re not busy, do you have time?”

I didn’t expect a positive answer from her when I asked.

Even if I treated her kindly, the only answer I would get from her would be ‘get lost’ or ‘I’ll kill you’.

But her reaction was completely unexpected.

“…”

She didn’t answer at all.

She just kept silent.

I didn’t think she would agree, but I didn’t expect her to refuse either.

Silence.

I don’t know what it implies yet.

But the fact that she withheld her answer meant that, at least, she didn’t think badly of me as much as I thought.

Kwon Jia glanced at me briefly and then passed me by as if running away.

I couldn’t stop her.

Her reaction was definitely different from yesterday.

‘Could it be that she took the bait I subtly threw?’

I already hinted that I was not an ordinary teller.

She must have known that too.

She knew it, so she didn’t direct her hatred towards me like other tellers.

But it felt like there was something else besides that.

[Do you want to leave it like this?]

‘No. I should follow her.’

I immediately followed Kwon Jia and entered the world of thoughts after her.

‘Is this place called Ghost Land?’

World of thoughts Ghost Land.

It refers to one of the three worlds of Samakdo, where hungry ghosts are always suffering and punished.

As expected, the blackened land was barren.

The trees that grew sparsely were twisted and burned black.

The wind with ash dust limited the visibility greatly.

A gray curtain covered all sides, making me feel suffocated.

[It’s quite bleak.]

‘That’s how it is.’

Compared to the other worlds of thoughts I’ve been to so far, this place is like Labyrinthos, where stories based on [mythology] unfold.

Mythology is at the peak of all stories. Naturally, the worlds of thoughts based on mythology are not very common in modern times.

Even if they exist, most of them are not proper myths, so they are out of interest for collectors.

‘I didn’t expect her to come here to hunt.’

The world of thoughts Ghost Land is a place I know well.

Usually, worlds of thoughts give some rewards and by-products even if you just catch fantasy creatures, but Ghost Land is a very barren place.

The Ghost themselves are also disgusting and reluctant to deal with fantasy creatures, and they don’t give much even if you catch them.

It was enough for collectors to avoid them.

[But she came here, so there must be something treasure?]

‘Right.’

Just like there was a hidden piece called [Icarus’s Wings] in Labyrinthos, there was also a hidden piece that matched it in Ghost Land.

If Kwon Jia is a regressor, she must be aiming for the hidden piece with the knowledge of the future.

‘But it’s strange. In my memory, the collector who found the hidden piece in this place was not her.’

Besides, the secret of Ghost Land was revealed much later from now.

Kwon Jia’s intention to target this place was very different from the information that matched my memory.

‘Could it be that she fails?’

A regressor? No way?

I had such a thought, but my reason soon argued against it.

The hundreds of books that Kwon Jia had. And what she had been through so far.

‘I forgot. She’s different from the regressor I think.’

The usual regressor is a superhuman who does everything in the second round.

That’s the common perception of regressors.

On the other hand, Kwon Jia died quite often.

She must have done well until then, but she was tired and mentally broken by the endless repetition of regression.

It was also because the world of thoughts was a place where life and death depended on a moment’s mistake or judgment.

‘I should find her first.’

Fortunately or unfortunately, I was able to find out where Kwon Jia was in no time.

She was in here, fighting the fantasy creatures as if to show off.

I couldn’t see her, but I could hear the sound of the fight.

The sound of something being cut and the scream of the Ghost.

I headed straight to where the sound came from.

There, Kwon Jia was fighting fiercely with three Ghost.

[She’s strong.]

That was Baekryeon’s evaluation of her fight, which she saw for the first time.

I nodded and agreed with her opinion.

Kwon Jia was strong.

She didn’t hesitate to swing her sword, and she didn’t shrink from the Ghost.

She was similar to Kang Hye-rim in a way, but the difference between them was that Kang Hye-rim had innate talent and Kwon Jia had accumulated experience.

[More than anything, the way she fights… it’s very desperate.]

I agree with that too.

Kwon Jia’s fight against three Ghost felt somewhat pitiful.

‘That’s not a fight.’

A fight shouldn’t be that desperate.

Kwon Jia’s movements were more like a beast than organized.

Yeah.

That was a struggle.

It was like a desperate attempt to regain something she had forgotten.

Yet, without knowing what she had forgotten, she tried to do anything to find out… a hollow desire.

I quietly watched her fight, drawn in.

I didn’t open the library.

Only Baekryeon and I were the only audience here.

Kwon Jia’s fight didn’t last long.

She eventually won against three Ghost.

The text of the Ghost’s corpse that was destroyed turned into a text and disappeared as if it melted in the air.

Kwon Jia half-collapsed on the spot and tried to calm her rough breathing.

‘Did she fight too hard and get tired?’

It was my first time seeing her fight, but it was definitely over-paced.

She used too much force to face three Ghost.

It didn’t seem like a behavior that a rational and calculating regressor would do.

Kyaaak!

An Ghost pierced through the ash wind and revealed itself.

Its arms and legs were skinny, and its belly was bulging out grotesquely.

Its hideous face was distorted and its thin and long teeth pierced through its mouth.

Its skin was black like a burnt tree.

It saw Kwon Jia who was sitting on the ground and rushed at her with its teeth bared.

Kwon Jia looked at the Ghost with a defeated expression.

She didn’t expect to be attacked at this moment.

Then, I stepped in.

Swoosh!

I swung Baekryeon cleanly.

The Ghost was cut in half in an instant and rolled on the ground with two pieces.

Kwon Jia looked at me with disbelief.

“Why? Have you never seen a teller who fights?”

“You…”

Before she could say anything, I cut her off.

“Stop. You must have a lot to say, but focus on resting for now. You don’t look so good, you know that, right? You don’t want to go through what happened just now again, do you? And don’t expect my help next time.”

I spoke a bit harshly, and she reluctantly accepted it.

I nodded satisfactorily and reached out my hand to her.

“Let’s have a meal.”

“…”

Kwon Jia looked at me with a ‘what kind of teller is this?’ expression.

***

Fortunately or not, Kwon Jia didn’t refuse my offer even though she was incredulous.

We were sitting in a quiet barbecue restaurant where there were no people.

It wasn’t night time, so there weren’t many customers, and we didn’t have to worry about the surroundings.

“Why are we here…”

“I wanted to eat here. Don’t worry. I’ll pay.”

I have more than enough money.

I don’t have much to spend anyway, and thanks to breaking into the secret vaults of those Twilight Curtain guys before, I have a lot of cash.

Even if I just sell the gold bars, I can make tens of billions of won.

Seoryeon would foam at the mouth and faint if she heard that.

Sizzle.

I grilled the pork belly diligently and asked Kwon Jia.

“It’s all cooked, don’t you want some?”

“…”

“If you don’t eat, I’ll eat first.”

I picked up the meat with chopsticks as if someone would steal it from me.

Pork belly was bland by itself, so I wrapped it with lettuce and perilla leaves, and added some ssamjang sauce.

And then I ate it in one bite.

I closed my eyes and savored the taste of the meat that spread in my mouth.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I ate pork belly.

As I focused on eating without saying anything, Kwon Jia couldn’t help but ask.

“Are you… really a Teller?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve never heard of a Teller who fights with a weapon. And more importantly, swinging that sword means you gave up your protection, right? How is that possible?”

“It’s possible. You’re the witness, after all.”

Well, I’m getting tired of this kind of reaction by now.

I know I’m weird.

But that doesn’t mean I can deny reality.

Kwon Jia asked me with a slightly annoyed voice.

“You’ve been eating non-stop.”

“I came here to eat, after all.”

“Don’t you want to ask about the contract?”

“Do you want me to ask?”

“I thought that was the purpose of this meeting.”

“It’s bad for digestion to talk about work while eating.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, really. What do you want me to do? Fine, let me ask you bluntly. Do you want to make a contract with me? I’ll treat you well.”

“…”

“See?”

She still looked displeased as I looked at her expression.

At that moment, I had no choice but to put down the chopsticks in my hand.

“Sigh. Fine. Well, since it’s come to this, let’s talk seriously.”

I pulled out a text from my fingertips and engraved it around us.

The engraving was nothing special.

It was just to prevent our conversation from leaking out by blocking the sound.

When I got serious, Kwon Jia also straightened her posture.

I looked at her and tapped the table with my finger.

“Okay. Where should I start? What kind of contract do you want, what conditions are good, what you shouldn’t do, what you must do. How to distribute the points you earn, how to set the commission. And so on and so forth.”

I held up a collector’s contract in front of her and recited all kinds of lists.

“I don’t need any of that.”

I threw away the contract.

Kwon Jia’s eyes followed the contract that disappeared into thin air and then turned to me.

The emotion in her eyes was distrust.

Yes, distrust.

She doesn’t trust me right now.

If there’s one thing I have to do first and foremost, it’s to give her faith.

And I know the best way to do that.

“Miss Kwon Jia.”

I didn’t hesitate and blurted it out.

“I’m a returnee.”

The secret that only I knew and didn’t reveal to anyone except Baek Ryeon.