11. Convenience Store
On the way home.
Ryuwon couldn't stop talking as he looked at his brother.
"B-brother. What happened? Did you learn martial arts somewhere?"
"When would I have time for that?"
"I guess..."
His brother had found part-time jobs to earn living expenses as soon as he became a high school student.
He worked while attending school, wanting to at least get a diploma, so he wouldn't have had time to learn martial arts.
"Then how did you do that? That kind of movement..."
"You didn't read the articles properly either? Players who've been to the other world can use their abilities in reality too. Like this."
Ryumin opened his inventory and took out the stiletto.
"Gasp! Wh-what's that?"
The system isn't visible to others' eyes.
To his brother, it would look like a knife suddenly appeared out of thin air.
"Wh-where did that knife come from?"
"I told you. Players can use their abilities in reality too."
When Ryumin put the dagger back, it disappeared like magic.
Ryuwon gaped again at the unbelievable reality he saw, but what was even more unbelievable was what happened at the hideout.
'To think brother could beat Bang Taegyu...'
Not just middle school seniors, but even high school students avoid Taegyu out of fear.
Ryumin easily defeated such a monster.
Overwhelmingly, without taking a single hit.
"Can all players move like you, brother? How could you dodge everything?"
"My agility stat is 11."
"Stat? Like in games?"
Ryumin patiently explained to his brother who still didn't know much.
"S-so you were that fast because you invested everything in agility?"
"That's right."
"What's the normal level?"
"An average adult is 3, and an athlete level is about 10."
In other words, Ryumin had the agility of a skilled boxer.
"Th-then what happens if your level gets higher and agility rises to 30 or 50?"
"I wouldn't know. I haven't reached that level."
Of course, this was a lie.
Ryumin had reached over 300 in agility alone.
'At around 300, you truly become a monster.'
At this point, you can even dodge bullets.
Modern weapons don't work and can't hit you.
You grow into a one-man army that can't be caught except by other players.
'Players causing trouble will start appearing everywhere soon.'
Murder, rape, arson, kidnapping, theft, etc.
Some twisted players use their abilities for all kinds of crimes.
It's not a distant story.
It's a reality that will unfold in just a few months.
'Players even fight each other.'
They target each other's lives when they should be cooperating to get through the rounds.
'I can't let my brother get caught up in fights between players.'
In the 11th regression, Ryumin had revealed to his brother that he was a regressor.
As a result, his brother was kidnapped just for being a regressor's family.
'My brother didn't even go around telling people he was a regressor's family.'
The reason was simple.
The kidnapper, Jang Seokhyeon, had a rune that could read others' inner thoughts.
After that, Ryumin took revenge on Jang Seokhyeon.
He even claimed the hidden rune [Rune of Inner Thoughts] that Seokhyeon had accidentally discovered.
'Jang Seokhyeon. I'll claim his rune in this regression too.'
The Rune of Inner Thoughts is extremely useful for gathering information, dealing with situations, and identifying friend or foe.
It's also one of the 18 essential runes on Ryumin's list to obtain.
'If I claim the rune, my brother won't be kidnapped by Jang Seokhyeon, but...'
Still, he doesn't want to reveal that he's a regressor.
'My brother suffered such humiliation because of me.'
Although it was in the past and future threats would be eliminated, it still felt uncomfortable.
He felt sorry for making his brother go through such an experience.
That was why he didn't reveal to his brother that he was a regressor.
"Brother, thanks for helping, but..."
"There's nothing to worry about."
"Huh?"
"You're worried Bang Taegyu might report to the police, right?"
"Y-yeah. We don't have money as it is, if we have to pay medical bills..."
"He won't report. Not if he wants to live."
Ryumin was certain.
It had been the same in previous regressions.
Bang Taegyu wasn't stupid enough to take Ryumin's warning lightly.
'He'll probably just say he got hurt in a fight. He'll make sure the witnesses keep their mouths shut.'
Knowing he would absolutely not open his mouth, Ryumin could be at ease.
Even if he did open his mouth, it wouldn't matter.
'I can just pay settlement money and kill him.'
Though they barely had enough for rent now, let alone settlement money, he wasn't worried.
'Money can be earned.'
But his brother seemed to think differently, his face still full of worry.
The thought that something might happen kept circling in his mind.
'Well, he hasn't experienced the situation dozens of times like me to know the outcome.'
Ryumin smiled wryly, thinking his brother had reason to worry about money, but Ryuwon was actually worried about something else.
'Is this really the brother I know?'
Though the brother he glanced at looked the same as yesterday, Ryuwon had clearly seen.
His brother mercilessly breaking Taegyu's fingers despite his pleas.
He didn't feel chills or fear at that cruelty.
Rather, he even felt a sense of satisfaction at seeing Taegyu wailing in pain.
'The problem is that the brother I know doesn't have such a cold and cruel nature.'
Do people change when they become players?
Or did the harsh experience of killing and being killed change him?
'I don't know since I haven't experienced the survival game, but...'
Ryuwon glanced at his brother.
Feeling the gaze, Ryumin looked back questioningly.
"What?"
"N-nothing. It's nothing."
Turning his head, Ryuwon inwardly felt relieved.
'He might be different when fighting, but now he's clearly the brother I know.'
Though he seemed like a completely different person when fighting, now he was no different from his usual self.
'That's enough.'
Ryuwon let go of his worries.
What's wrong with his brother changing?
He came back alive and so much stronger.
'That's enough. That's enough.'
Just as he decided not to worry anymore, Ryuwon saw a convenience store.
At that moment, an embarrassing signal came from his stomach.
Growl-
He hadn't eaten anything since waking up in the morning.
Ryumin, who didn't miss that sound, chuckled beside him.
"Hungry? Want to eat breakfast at the convenience store?"
"Oh, s-sure."
Embarrassed, Ryuwon scratched his head and followed his brother into the convenience store.
Though it might seem shabby for a meal, for the brothers who could barely afford rent, there was no better heaven than a convenience store.
These days, convenience stores have almost everything.
They could have eaten out at other restaurants, but anything beyond a convenience store was a luxury for the brothers.
That's when Ryumin approached the ATM next to the convenience store.
"Brother? What are you doing?"
"Just a moment, withdrawing some money."
Inserting the card into the ATM, a meager amount appears.
[Available balance: 133,202 won]
Their entire fortune of 133,000 won.
It wasn't much money, but for the brothers with poor earnings, it was their entire fortune.
Still, they managed to get by somewhat with Ryumin working part-time at a meat restaurant on weekends.
It was quite a poor life compared to ordinary people.
But Ryumin withdrew most of that little money.
"Brother?"
Ryuwon asked in surprise as he saw his brother withdraw 100,000 won in cash.
"What are you going to do with that?"
"I have something to use it for."
Smiling at his curious brother, Ryumin entered the convenience store.
Following him in, the brother was about to choose cup noodles as usual, but surprisingly, his brother was at the frozen food section.
"Here, choose from here."
"Brother? Those are all expensive ones."
Ryuwon refused, seeing the frozen foods that cost at least 5,000 won each, but.
"It's okay. Just for today, eat as much as you want."
For some reason, Ryumin was trying to be extravagant unlike usual.
"Brother, did the meat restaurant owner give you a bonus?"
"You know he's not that kind of person."
"Then why are you suddenly trying to eat expensive things?"
"It's the new year. We can't just eat ramen on a day like today."
"You never did this before, what's..."
Rent, phone bills, food expenses.
Even with part-time jobs and basic livelihood support, it's not easy to cover expenses for two people.
Given the circumstances, Ryuwon felt hesitant to choose something delicious.
Who would want to eat ramen every day at an age when they should be eating well?
"It's okay, choose."
"Are you serious, brother? Do we have enough money to live on if I eat this?"
"We do."
"Really? Then it's okay if I choose?"
"I said it's okay."
Even though he was repeatedly told to choose what he wanted to eat, the brother only looked suspicious.
'Why is brother suddenly acting like this?'
But that thought was brief.
Thinking his brother must have left enough for living expenses, Ryuwon chose what he wanted to eat.
"You're going to eat that? Gochujang samgyeopsal?"
"Yeah. I've really wanted to try this."
"..."
At those words, Ryumin's expression darkened slightly.
They hadn't had the chance to eat samgyeopsal before due to lack of money.
"Won. I'll let you eat as much as you want at a meat restaurant soon. Korean beef."
"It's fine. What Korean beef with our circumstances? This is enough for me."
Though he was smiling and speaking, he knew it wasn't true.
At such a young age, how could he not want to eat out like others when he hadn't even once?
'Just wait a few days. I'll make you eat so much meat you'll get sick of it.'
Ryumin's words just now weren't empty talk.
There was a reason he was being extravagant like this.
A large sum of money would be coming in a few days.
"I'll choose this."
What Ryumin chose was frozen braised chicken.
"Looks delicious. Brother. Can you give me a little? I'll share mine too."
"Sure."
Ryumin, who additionally chose two servings of instant rice, went to the counter and handed over his card.
After finishing payment, he returned, opened the packaging, and put it in the microwave.
It was more comfortable eating at the convenience store like this than in their cramped home.
"It's done. Let's eat."
"Thanks for the meal, brother!"
They enjoyed a modest feast with his brother at the convenience store.
"It's delicious!"
"Is it good? Eat a lot."
When Ryumin gave some of his portion, his brother was overjoyed.
"Thank you, brother!"
Perhaps tired of eating only ramen usually, his brother ate deliciously.
He devoured it ravenously as if he hadn't eaten for days.
"Ah, that was good."
After finishing the meal, his brother patted his stomach and asked with a puzzled expression.
"But brother."
"What?"
"I saw you pay by card earlier... Then why did you withdraw 100,000 won?"
He thought they would buy with the 100,000 won cash.
"I told you. I have something to use it for."
"So what are you going to use it for?"
Instead of answering, Ryumin brought paper and a sign pen from the side.
It was none other than a lottery ticket.
"Brother, why..."
"Can't you tell by looking?"
Only then did his brother realize why Ryumin had withdrawn 100,000 won.
"Don't tell me you're going to play the lottery?"
"Yeah."
"Brother, you're still a high school student. You can't buy lottery tickets."
"Forgot? I'm an adult as of today."
"Ah... that's right."
Coincidentally, today was Saturday, the day of the lottery draw.
But looking closely, Ryumin had brought not just one or two sheets.
"Wait, how many sheets did you bring? Twenty? Don't tell me you're going to buy 100,000 won worth of lottery tickets?"
"The purchase limit is only 100,000 won per person."
He spoke as if regretful, but his brother jumped up.
"Brother, are you crazy? How can you spend 100,000 won with our circumstances?"
Buying one ticket to commemorate becoming an adult was one thing, but buying twenty was an enormous extravagance.
"It may seem extravagant, but it's not. We need to splurge this much."
"We don't even know if it'll work! We'll probably lose it all..."
"We'll see about that."
Ryumin was confident.
As if he was certain to win.
But this wasn't the only absurd thing.
"What are you doing? Why are you marking the same number over and over?"
Ryumin grinned and said.
"Because this is the winning number."