## Chapter 210 – Deal
“You bastard! What did you do to Willy?!”
Led by Jack, the black people shouted, acting as if they would pounce on me.
I glanced around at them and said,
“He’s doing well.”
“I don’t believe you! Let me talk to him right now! Otherwise, I’ll destroy you right here!”
I shook my head.
“That’s impossible.”
“So, it was just talk?!”
“If you let me get out of here safely, I’ll let you meet him in person then. This isn’t a situation where we can afford to waste time talking.”
I reasoned with them well, but they were reluctant to agree.
“You want us to believe the words of a petty thief who imitates others and steals their things?”
Jack and his gang pointed their guns at me and threatened.
“Fuck you. If you don’t let me talk to him right now, I’ll put a hole in your head.”
“…Well, it’s true that I imitated him.”
I snorted.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d correct me about the stealing part. This is originally my stuff.”
“What?”
“What are you talking about?”
People looked back and forth between me and Scarlett.
Scarlett laughed awkwardly, and starting with Claire, people’s expressions turned cold.
“This [Space 이동 Scroll] was originally mine. Scarlett just swiped it.”
Only then did the tense atmosphere soften for a moment.
They were wary of me because I was a returnee they had never seen before, but they took it into consideration since I appeared here to find my own things.
Jack asked me as if to confirm.
“You’re not lying about letting me meet Willy, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“If you don’t keep your promise, I’ll find you even if it’s to the ends of hell.”
“I’ll definitely keep my promise, so don’t worry.”
Jack lowered his gun. Then he snorted and said,
“By the way, what kind of guy are you? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone who doesn’t flinch at all even when a gun is pointed at them, other than Luke.”
“Oh, haven’t you noticed who I am yet?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
People blinked, and only then did I realize that Scarlett hadn’t revealed my personal information.
So, I decided to tell them myself.
“I’m that returnee.”
“That returnee?”
“The reason Scarlett summoned you all here.”
People looked at each other, tilted their heads, and then stopped.
Their eyes gradually widened.
They looked at me one by one with disbelief, and the people who had been relaxing their guard tensed up again.
The guns that had been lowered started to point at me again.
“Y-you’re that guy?!”
I nodded, saying yes, and then stared straight at the guns.
“You asked why I’m not scared even when I see a gun.”
As I took a step forward, the people aiming their guns at me took two steps back, faltering.
“It’s simple. Guns don’t work on me. Bullets can’t even scratch my skin, so I just ignore them when I see guns.”
“H-how?”
“Well, don’t be too scared. As I said before, Willy is alive. So are the others. I won’t harm you either. I’m just here to make you an offer in this crisis situation.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Scarlett said they were dead!”
At someone’s shout, Scarlett quietly lowered her head.
“She said 17 people died in 4 days, so we had to go kill you right away!”
At another person’s shout, Scarlett bowed her head deeply and stealthily moved behind the sofa.
“Scarlett, did you really see me killing people?”
At my question, people’s gazes turned to Scarlett.
Scarlett, who was awkwardly hiding behind the sofa, smiled awkwardly when she received people’s attention.
“W-well, I definitely saw them making 끅끅 sounds and drooping… .”
Immediately, people put their hands on their foreheads and sighed.
“Oh, God…”
“Wow. Was that a lie?”
“Scarlett! Did you run your mouth again?!”
At Claire’s casual remark, Scarlett retorted angrily.
“Run my mouth! They were definitely dead! I ran away after seeing them dying!”
“You didn’t see them dying, you just made it up in your head based on the previous situation! Ugh. Bitch.”
Some people, including the council members, shook their heads. Judging by their reaction, she must have been running her mouth to the spirits often.
Anyway, when people realized that I was the monster Scarlett was talking about, they watched me with nervous eyes.
Even if I hadn’t killed anyone, the fact that I attacked the returnees hadn’t changed.
But no one was pressing me or shouting at me like Jack did at the beginning.
The relationship between predator and prey had already been formed between us.
And the meaning of the prey’s gaze towards the predator is clear.
‘They’re reading my face.’
As the weak, they were desperately rolling their eyes to survive from the strong.
Aria, with her long hair, who had already put on all her clothes, asked me.
“So, what’s the offer you have for us?”
“It’s simple.”
I fluttered the [Space 이동 Scroll].
“If you come under me, I’ll give you one of these each.”
“Can you tell us specifically what level you’re talking about when you say come under you?”
It was a [Space 이동 Scroll].
From what I saw when Scarlett and another council member were negotiating, the [Event 상점] items were so precious to the returnees who had returned to Earth that they couldn’t put a price on them.
‘Well, I guess so. It’s a special store that you can only use when you’re on the island.’
Is that all? Usually, they would stay on the island for decades just to buy one of those.
There was no way they could easily put a price on that blood and sweat.
So, now everyone was waiting for my answer with tension.
They all understood that the offer to come under me wasn’t just a superficial relationship.
Gulp.
To the people who were swallowing hard and waiting for my answer, I said indifferently.
“To put it bluntly, it’s a slave contract, or to put it nicely, a master-servant contract.”
“A slave contract…”
“Ugh.”
As if they had expected it, there was no commotion.
No one protested. They just stroked their chins and pondered.
In the silence, Aria with the long hair answered.
“I refuse. A life without guaranteed freedom is death.”
I smiled brightly.
“Freedom will be guaranteed. It’s just a kind of shackle that makes you work for me in important moments and prevents you from acting against me and my plans.”
“I can’t believe you. What am I supposed to believe in you to sign a contract?”
Yeah, I didn’t have time to build trust with them.
But what could I do?
The weak can’t do anything in front of the strong, but the strong are different.
The strong can offer choices to the weak. A forced action manual written as choices.
“If you can’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”
I said without regret.
“Just wait here and get caught by Etana.”
“!!”
People stirred and made a fuss, and Aria sat down on the floor and took out her gun.
“It doesn’t matter. If I die, I die.”
I smiled at Aria, who was slightly trembling her hand.
‘Can an ordinary human live for over a thousand years?’
No.
They can’t live without a strong attachment to life. Usually, they can’t stand the years and break down or commit suicide.
Especially if they’re being chased by a terrible executioner named Etana, I can’t even imagine how strong that attachment would be.
So, that’s just a bluff.
As long as there’s hope of survival, the spirits here can’t commit suicide.
Of course, they can gather their minds with strong will and actually commit suicide.
So, just in case, I played a little trick.
“Oh, right. Seeing that gun reminded me, I’ve taken care of all your bullets.”
“What?”
“What did you say?!”
People checked their guns and widened their eyes.
“T-there’s not a single bullet?!”
“N-no way!”
“It’s not just the bullets that are gone!”
That’s right. I smiled brightly and said,
“By the way, I’ve also taken care of all the dangerous items like knives.”
“H-how?”
When I used [Time Stop] to retrieve the scroll from Scarlett a little while ago, I collected all the dangerous items that each person had on their body and sold them in the [상점창].
In short, even if they wanted to commit suicide, it wouldn’t be as easy as they thought.
“Y-you bastard…”
I smiled at Aria and the others who were glaring at me and said,
“You’re trying to die when you have a chance to live? No way. I used my power so that you can think positively in the direction of living as much as possible.”
“……”
“Oh, you don’t have to thank me too much. I didn’t do it for anything in return, I did it with a really good heart.”
Tremble, tremble.
“You son of a bitch!”
Sophia clenched her fist tightly, and yellow sparks flew over her right arm.
‘Oh, is that electricity?’
I fluttered the scroll at Sophia, who was trying to rush at me.
“Calm down. What if I run away with the scroll if you do that?”
“Keuk.”
“Violence is not good, so please take away your ability. I don’t want the unfortunate event of you escaping from here alone because you’re too scared.”
Then I smiled brightly at Scarlett.
Thanks to her, I learned how to deal with the spirits. She was a truly versatile bait(?).
“Now, those who are willing to become my slaves, please come forward one by one.”
However, the people only glared at me fiercely and didn’t move. Sophia scoffed.
“Do you think we’ll respond to the offer of some rootless thug? You’re not even basic! You should have built trust before making such an offer!”
People nodded, saying she was right.
“If you’re short on time, you should have built goodwill first! Who would respond to you when you’re just showing malice and threats… .”
“Get out of the way! I said get out of the way!”
“Ugh?!”
At that moment, someone pushed Sophia aside and jumped out in front of me.
“M-me, I’ll do it!”
“Scarlett?”
“Is Scarlett really running out to become a slave…?”
People looked at her as if they were dumbfounded.
Some had expressions of disbelief.
“That haughty queen is volunteering to be a slave?”
People were shocked. But Scarlett’s eyes were quite serious, and she was only looking at me.
[She is very scared.]
“You’ll enslave me, right?”
Scarlett’s eyes sparkled. Her eyes were filled with earnest wishes.
I nodded.
“Yeah, no. You’re on hold for now.”
“!!”
If this was the first meeting, I would have been greatly moved by Scarlett’s actions, and I would have given her a chance even if she was a slut who had played with many men.
But Scarlett, it’s not just once, it’s not just twice, it’s already been several times that she’s been acting up.
Of course, I put the wind in her sails and stimulated her desires to use her as bait, but she’s still arrogant.
“T-that’s…”
Scarlett was shocked. She carefully approached and held my hand tightly. She looked at me with an infinitely pitiful face and whispered in my ear.
“P-please give me one more chance. I’ve really committed a sin worthy of death. I forgot the grace of your forgiveness and used your precious things without permission… .”
“……”
“If you’re going to punish me, I deserve to die a hundred times… . Ah. T-that’s not to say you should really kill me. Please, I’m begging you. I’ll never, ever act up again. Please give me one more chance.”
When I didn’t budge, Scarlett rubbed her breasts against my arm and teared up.
Still, when I didn’t react, she reached out to touch my dick, so I said one thing.
“If you keep bothering me, I’ll throw you next to Etana right away?”
“……”
“Go over there and wait until the last turn. Let’s think about it until then.”
“Yes…”
Scarlett sulked and retreated to the corner, and Claire, who had been watching the scene silently for some reason, came forward.
“I’ll be your slave.”
“Claire!”
“Hey, why did you make that choice?!”
At people’s questions, Claire snorted.
“At least she’s normal to see that Scarlett was rejected. Even if I become a slave, she won’t make me do anything absurd.”
Then Claire looked at Scarlett and laughed. Scarlett clenched her fist and trembled.
In my opinion, it just seems like she’s self-satisfied that she succeeded in something that Scarlett couldn’t do… .
Or is it? Is it to tease Scarlett?
Anyway, the blue-haired beauty who came in front of me asked.
“What do I have to do to be your slave?”
I showed her my smartphone.
“Type your number here.”
Claire, who looked blankly at the screen for a moment after seeing the smartphone in my hand, soon moved her hand and typed her phone number.
[Successfully hypnotized.]
I gave Claire the [Space 이동 Scroll] as promised. Not just one, but two.
“I’ll call you later, so come right away when I contact you.”
Nod.
“Don’t ride with other people, get out alone.”
As soon as Claire received the scroll, her acquaintances gathered around her.
“Is that really a [Space 이동 Scroll]?”
“Wow. It’s two!”
“Really?”
“Claire, take me with you!”
“With this, we can all get out of here for now… .”
But at that moment, Claire disappeared alone in the air.
“Uh, uh?”
People looked blankly at the place where Claire disappeared with bewildered faces.
“Did she just go alone…?”
I snorted as I watched the scene.
‘Where are you trying to get a free ride?’
Either pay me a reasonable price, or meet Etana and take the hell express train.
There are only two options here.
“You, what did you do to Claire.”
Aria glared at me and the smartphone in my hand with suspicious eyes.
I smiled brightly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Claire is not the type to abandon her acquaintances and run away alone. Especially the team members, she cares more about them than her own life. What did you do?”
“…Is that a threat? Did you threaten to find and kill her if she didn’t listen?”
I smiled brightly and didn’t explain any further. Instead, I asked the people.
“Is there anyone else?”
“T-there…”
And some people came to me.
Most of them were individuals who were not affiliated with any organization.
‘They wouldn’t have responded so easily normally.’
Scarlett broke the flow by popping out when Sophia tried to protest in the beginning.
After that, the flow was completely reversed when Claire volunteered to be a slave to tease Scarlett.
“W-we’ll do it too.”
And after some time, even teams started to move.
Small teams that were not affiliated with the three council members of the ‘Round Table Highest Council’.
‘Still, many people are not responding.’
21 people remained without responding to my offer. Especially the one I wanted the most.
Aria.
Age 2,065. Ability is [Rapid Growth].
A strange ability that can accelerate any life activity.
Depending on the case, she could grow a sapling into a tree that is decades old in an instant, or turn a healthy man into an old man on the verge of death.
So, it was quite an interesting ability for me.
To the point where I wanted to do some experiments as soon as I saw it.
But what caught my interest more was something else. It was her history.
‘Aria with long hair, her alias is Princess.’
At first, I wondered why they called her Princess. Is it the same case as Scarlett’s nickname, Queen? But it wasn’t.
She was actually royalty.
[She is an Egyptian princess whose real name is Cleopatra Selene.]
Selene? I don’t know history well, but I saw a familiar word in front of it.
Cleopatra.
Not the Cleopatra we know, but her daughter.
‘When I first found out about that fact, I had a new feeling.’
An Egyptian female monarch who is called the epitome of beauty.
The last pharaoh.
A legendary figure who captivated the hearts of many men with her intelligence and wit, Cleopatra.
The daughter of a famous person I learned about in history is standing right in front of me at this moment, so it can’t help but be interesting.
“Are the rest of you not going to respond?”
“……”
At my question, people silently stared at my smartphone.
Judging by the suspicious looks, they all seemed to have caught on that there was something in it.
But even though they had suspicions, they hadn’t found any unusual symptoms from those who had escaped here first, so they kept staring at me and the smartphone.
Thud. Thud. Crack!
And now Etana had only one last gate left.
Clench. Seeing the people who clenched their fists and endured to the end, it didn’t seem like they would change their minds until the door was broken.
I had no choice but to take out my hidden weapon.
