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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Convenience Store
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On the way home.
Ryu Won stared at his brother, his mouth hanging open.
"B-Bro. What happened? Did you learn martial arts somewhere?"
"Where would I have had the time for that?"
"That's true..."
His brother had gotten a part-time job to earn living expenses as soon as he started high school.
He'd worked while attending school, determined to at least get his diploma, so there would have been no time to learn something like martial arts.
"Then what was that? Those movements were..."
"You must not have read the articles properly. Players who've been to the other world can use their abilities in reality, too. Like this."
Ryu Min opened his inventory and took out the stiletto.
"Gasp! Wh-What the?"
The system is invisible to others.
To his brother, it must have looked like a knife had suddenly materialized out of thin air.
"Wh-Where did that come from? That knife?"
"I told you. Players can use their abilities in reality."
When Ryu Min put the dagger away again, it vanished without a trace, as if by magic.
He gaped again at the unbelievable sight, but what had happened at the hideout was even more incredible.
'I can't believe he beat Bang Tae-gyu...'
Even the high schoolers, let alone the middle school upperclassmen, would avoid Bang Tae-gyu out of fear.
But Ryu Min had defeated that monster with ease.
Overwhelmingly, without taking a single hit.
"Can all Players move like you? How could you dodge all that?"
"My Agility stat is 11."
"Stat? Like in a game?"
Ryu Min patiently explained it to his brother, who still had much to learn.
"S-So you were that fast because you put everything into Agility?"
"That's right."
"What's the normal level?"
"An average adult is about 3, and an athlete is around 10."
In other words, Ryu Min possessed the agility of a skilled boxer.
"Th-Then what happens later, when your level is higher and your Agility reaches 30, or 50?"
"How would I know? I've never reached that level."
Of course, that was a lie.
Ryu Min had once reached over 300 in Agility alone.
'At around 300, you become a true monster.'
At that point, you can even dodge bullets.
Modern weaponry is ineffective; it can't even hit you.
You effectively become a one-man army that no one but another Player can stop.
'Soon, Players will start causing trouble everywhere.'
Murder, rape, arson, kidnapping, theft, and more.
A few twisted Players would use their abilities for all sorts of crimes.
It wasn't a distant story. It was a reality that would unfold in just a few months.
'They even fight amongst themselves.'
When they should be cooperating to clear the rounds, they instead aim for each other's lives.
'I can't let my brother get caught up in those fights.'
In his 11th regression, Ryu Min had confessed to his brother that he was a regressor.
As a result, his brother had been kidnapped simply for being a regressor's family member.
'And it's not like my brother went around blabbing about it.'
The reason was simple. The kidnapper, a man named Jang Seok-hyun, had a rune that let him read people's inner thoughts.
Afterward, Ryu Min had taken revenge on Jang Seok-hyun.
He had even taken the hidden [Rune of Inner Thoughts] that Jang Seok-hyun had discovered by chance.
'Jang Seok-hyun. I'll be taking that rune for myself in this life, too.'
The Rune of Inner Thoughts is incredibly useful not only for gathering information and handling situations but also for distinguishing friend from foe.
It was also on Ryu Min's list of 18 essential runes to acquire.
'If I take the rune, my brother won't be kidnapped by Jang Seok-hyun, but...'
Still, he didn't want to reveal that he was a regressor.
'My brother suffered that humiliation because of me.'
Even though it was in the past and he would eliminate the future threat, the truth was it still felt wrong.
He felt sorry just for having put his brother through that.
That was why he wouldn't tell his brother he was a regressor.
"Bro, thanks for helping me, but..."
"Don't worry about it."
"Huh?"
"You're worried Bang Tae-gyu might report it to the police, right?"
"Y-Yeah. We're already broke. If we have to pay his medical bills..."
"He won't report it. Not if he doesn't want to die."
Ryu Min was certain. It had been the same in his previous life.
Bang Tae-gyu wasn't stupid enough to ignore Ryu Min's warning.
'He'll probably just say he got hurt in a brawl. He'll take care of silencing any witnesses.'
Knowing he would never open his mouth, Ryu Min could rest easy.
Even if he did, it wouldn't matter.
'I'd just pay the settlement and kill him.'
Right now, he barely had enough money for rent, let alone a settlement, but he wasn't worried.
'I can just make more money.'
But his brother seemed to think differently, his face still etched with worry.
The thought of 'what if' was likely still swirling in his mind.
'Well, it's not like he knows the outcome from repeating the situation dozens of times like I do.'
Ryu Min chuckled, thinking his brother had every right to worry about money, but Ryu Won's concerns lay elsewhere.
'Is this really the brother I know?'
A quick glance confirmed his brother looked the same as yesterday, but Ryu Won had seen it clearly.
The way his brother had mercilessly broken Bang Tae-gyu's fingers, despite his pleas.
He didn't find that cruelty chilling or frightening.
In fact, seeing Bang Tae-gyu howl in pain had even felt satisfying.
'The problem is, the brother I know isn't this cold and cruel.'
Do people change when they become Players?
Or does the harsh experience of killing and being killed change a person?
'I haven't experienced the survival game, so I don't really know, but...'
Ryu Won glanced at his brother.
Sensing the gaze, Ryu Min looked at him quizzically.
"What?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Ryu Won turned his head away, relieved.
'He might be different when he fights, but right now, he's definitely the brother I know.'
He seemed like a completely different person in a fight, but now, he was no different from his usual self.
'That's all that matters.'
Ryu Won let go of his worries.
So what if his brother had changed?
He came back alive and this strong.
'That's enough. That's all that matters.'
Just as he decided not to worry about it anymore, Ryu Won spotted a convenience store.
At that moment, an embarrassing signal came from his stomach.
*Growl—*
It was because he hadn't eaten anything since waking up that morning.
Ryu Min, who hadn't missed the sound, chuckled beside him.
"Hungry? Want to grab some breakfast at the convenience store?"
"Uh, y-yeah, sounds good."
Embarrassed, his brother scratched his head and followed him into the convenience store.
It might seem like a humble place for a meal, but for the brothers who struggled just to pay rent, the convenience store was a paradise.
Convenience stores these days were well-stocked with just about everything.
They could have eaten at a restaurant, but for the brothers, anything more than the convenience store was a luxury.
Just then, Ryu Min walked over to the ATM next to the store.
"Bro? What are you doing?"
"Hold on, just need to withdraw some money."
He inserted his card into the ATM, and a meager sum appeared on the screen.
[Available for Withdrawal: 133,202 won]
Their entire fortune: 133,000 won.
It wasn't much, but for the brothers with their meager income, it was everything they had.
Still, Ryu Min's weekend part-time job at a barbecue restaurant was enough for them to get by.
Though their life was quite poor compared to the average person.
But Ryu Min proceeded to withdraw most of that small amount.
"Bro?"
Seeing his brother withdraw 100,000 won in cash, Ryu Won asked in surprise.
"What are you going to do with that?"
"I have a use for it."
Ryu Min gave his curious brother a smile before heading into the convenience store.
His brother followed him in, planning to grab cup noodles as usual, but was bewildered to find his brother in the frozen food aisle.
"Here, pick something from here."
"Bro? This stuff is all expensive."
Ryu Won protested, looking at the frozen foods that cost at least 5,000 won.
"It's fine. At least for today, eat whatever you want."
For some reason, Ryu Min was intent on splurging, unlike his usual self.
"Bro, did the restaurant owner give you a bonus or something?"
"You know he's not the type."
"Then why are you suddenly trying to eat something expensive?"
"It's the new year. We can't just have ramen on a day like today."
"You never cared about that before..."
Rent, phone bills, food expenses.
Even with his part-time job and basic living security benefits, it wasn't easy to cover expenses for two people.
Given their circumstances, Ryu Won felt hesitant to pick something tasty.
At his age, when he should be eating a lot, who would want to eat ramen every day?
"It's fine, just pick."
"Are you serious, bro? If I eat this, will we still have enough money to live on?"
"We will."
"Really? Then it's okay for me to choose?"
"I said it's fine."
Even though he repeatedly told him to pick what he wanted, his brother just looked at him with suspicion.
'Why is he suddenly acting like this?'
But the thought was fleeting. Believing his brother must have left enough for living expenses, Ryu Won picked what he wanted to eat.
"You're getting that? The gochujang pork belly?"
"Yeah. I've always wanted to try this."
"..."
At those words, Ryu Min's expression darkened slightly.
They never had the chance to eat pork belly before because they had no money.
"Won. Soon, I'll let you eat all the Korean beef you want at a restaurant."
"Forget it. Hanwoo is way out of our league. This is more than enough for me."
He was trying to smile as he said it, but Ryu Min knew it wasn't true.
At his young age, he had never once eaten out like everyone else. Of course, he'd want to go.
'Just wait a few days. I'll make sure you eat so much meat you get sick of it.'
Ryu Min's words just now weren't empty promises.
There was a reason he was splurging like this.
A large sum of money was coming his way in a few days.
"I'll get this one."
Ryu Min chose the frozen braised chicken.
"That looks delicious. Bro, can I have a little? I'll share mine."
"Sure."
After grabbing two instant rice bowls as well, Ryu Min went to the counter and held out his card.
After paying, he came back, unwrapped the food, and put it in the microwave.
It was more comfortable to eat here at the convenience store than in their cramped house.
"It's ready. Let's eat."
"Thanks for the food, bro!"
They sat down and enjoyed their small feast at the convenience store.
"This is delicious!"
"Is it good? Eat up."
When Ryu Min gave him some of his portion, his brother was overjoyed.
"Thanks, bro!"
His brother ate with gusto, perhaps tired of eating only ramen all the time.
He devoured his food ravenously, like someone who hadn't eaten in days.
"Ah, that was a good meal."
After the meal, his brother patted his stomach and asked with a puzzled expression.
"By the way, bro."
"What?"
"I saw you paid with your card earlier... If you were going to do that, why did you withdraw 100,000 won?"
He must have thought Ryu Min was going to pay with the 100,000 won cash.
"I told you. I have a use for it."
"So what are you going to use it for?"
Instead of answering, Ryu Min grabbed some paper and a marker from the side.
It was none other than a lottery slip.
"Bro, why do you have...?"
"Can't you tell by looking?"
Only then did his brother realize why he had withdrawn 100,000 won.
"Don't tell me you're going to play the lottery?"
"Yep."
"Bro, you're still a high school student. You can't buy lottery tickets, can you?"
"Forgot? I'm officially an adult as of today."
"Ah... right."
Coincidentally, today was Saturday, the day of the drawing.
But on closer inspection, Ryu Min hadn't just brought one or two slips.
"Wait, how many did you grab? Twenty? You're not really going to buy 100,000 won worth of lottery tickets, are you?"
"The purchase limit is only 100,000 won per person."
He said it with a hint of regret, but his brother jumped up in protest.
"Bro, are you crazy? How can we blow 100,000 won in our situation?"
Buying one slip to celebrate becoming an adult was one thing, but buying twenty was an outrageous extravagance.
"It might seem like a luxury, but it's not. This much is necessary."
"You don't even know if you'll win! You're probably just going to waste it all..."
"We'll see about that."
Ryu Min was full of confidence.
As if he was certain he would win.
But that wasn't the only baffling thing.
"What are you doing? Why are you marking the same numbers over and over?"
Ryu Min grinned and said.
"Because these are the winning numbers."