Why Did I Have to Enroll

Why Did I Have to Enroll - Chapter 77

Lesson 17. How to Clear the Trick Room - 2

After hearing about what was happening in the small city, Light jumped to his feet with wide eyes.

"A murderer is moving around openly...?! How dare they be so brazen!"

"Calm down. We haven't even confirmed an actual murder scene yet. We're just making assumptions about what might be happening in the city based on various circumstantial evidence."

They had only made that assumption because the hooded man who was moving secretly had mentioned a murderer, but they still couldn't grasp the full situation.

But Light, who aspired to be a champion of justice, wasn't likely to be calmed by such words.

"But if murder could happen there tonight, we shouldn't just be sitting here so casually!"

"Don't worry about it - they're not even real people."

Finally, it was only after Dokgo Yeon stepped in to reveal the final secret hidden in this room that they were able to calm his attitude.

It was quite adorable how Light blinked his big, round eyes with a bewildered expression.

"What do you mean they're not real people?"

"Of course they're not. There's no way humans besides us climbers could enter the tower in the first place. To exaggerate a bit, those human-like beings are no different from monsters. They're all just situations created by the tower."

Actually, even Ban Yu-won was a bit confused until he infiltrated the small city at night.

But now he was certain after learning that the power of the constellations was being applied to the small city.

This was all just an elaborate deception.

'If there were really constellation contractors among the humans in that small city, they wouldn't be staying in Room 23. Those contractors are nothing but fakes created by the tower using borrowed constellation power to test the climbers. The constellations probably received occupancy rates in exchange for lending their power to the tower...'

Since everything was fake, there was no need to feel any unnecessary sense of duty or guilt about what happened in the small city.

Just like a game of Mafia that people play sitting around on Earth, Room 23 was just a game where you had to eliminate the enemy before all your allies died.

Light's expression had soured halfway through hearing the explanation.

"Ban, my head is really spinning right now..."

"Why think about it so hard? I gave up trying to estimate the tower's authority when I saw monsters spawning endlessly."

"Yu-won is really... should I say wise, or fair?"

Even Luciel was taken aback by Ban Yu-won's attitude of equating monsters with humans.

But Ban Yu-won spoke to his companions without changing his expression.

"The hint was there all along. Remember how Professor Yumina said there would be times when we'd have to protect the weak in the tower?"

"Ah, now that you mention it, she did."

"There will be plenty more trick rooms that restrict our actions in the future... and some of them might require us to protect beings like these. Let's get used to it now." ȑãNỖ฿ËŜ

In reality, Ban Yu-won was less shocked by the appearance of 'fake people' compared to Light and Luciel, probably because he was familiar with NPCs (Non-Player Characters) that appear in RPGs and other games.

'Actually, with the tower, it wouldn't be surprising if they summoned and used real humans from other dimensions. ...But that can't be right? They must be NPCs?'

It would be nice if they could make contact and examine their internal concepts in detail.

Even if they were 'real humans,' treating them as NPCs would be better for Ban Yu-won's mental health, so he decided not to think about it anymore.

"Yu-won...?"

"Well, good work everyone. Let's get some sleep and move as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow. We need to conquer Room 23 before leaving the tower."

Luciel watched Ban Yu-won with concern as his expression subtly changed, but Ban Yu-won forced a smile and declared it was time to sleep.

Would the people of the small city really accept them just because a day had passed?

To cut to the conclusion, they did not.

"We told you not to come any closer, monsters!"

"People died yesterday too! Why are you trying to enter the city at a time like this!"

"Get lost! If you don't disappear from our sight, we'll shoot arrows!"

Fierce rejection.

But having failed to infiltrate the city at night, they couldn't back down this time.

"We need to get inside one way or another."

Dokgo Yeon declared firmly as she approached the city gate, deflecting all the arrows shot from the walls without even touching them.

"Eek!"

"M-monster. It's a real monster!"

"No doubt about it, that's the murderer!"

Ban Yu-won smacked his forehead as he watched even the humans who had been stubbornly refusing their entry from atop the walls and at the gate become paralyzed with fear at her spirit.

Was this really the same Dokgo Yeon who had insisted on building up the other party members' crisis management skills?

She was just charging forward while radiating killing intent!

"We weren't in the city yesterday, so we're not the murderers. And we need to enter the city."

"D-don't come any closer!"

"I said, let us in."

"Hiiiii!"

Since forcing their way forward any more might cause direct harm to the people, Dokgo Yeon simply stood firm in front of them.

However, just the slight killing intent she revealed was enough to make the gate guards collapse and wet themselves.

"Hey, if we ever need to do any siege warfare in the future, we can just send Dokgo Yeon charging in."

"Don't say that directly to Dokgo Yeon, Ban. Not if you don't want to end up like those people."

"But I think Dokgo Yeon's actions might be the answer. There's nothing else we can do when they won't listen at all."

Luciel, who seemed to have realized something after watching Dokgo Yeon's forceful breakthrough, left those words before following after her.

"Hiiieek! M-monster! Another monster is coming!"

"B-bow... the bow, the bow!"

"D-don't aim! We'll die! We'll die!"

Ban Yu-won and Light, who hadn't moved yet, could only see Luciel's back... but they could roughly understand why people were terrified as they watched half of her hair turn pitch black.

That kid is handling her psychic power so naturally now even in non-combat situations! He was so proud he could cry!

"Mmm, yes, that's a skill too..."

"Ban?"

"Let's go too. I think we can talk now."

"Talk, you say. Not threaten..."

When Ban Yu-won and Light, who looked relatively weak compared to Dokgo Yeon and Luciel, reached the city gate, people finally showed somewhat calmer expressions.

"Y-you people! What are you! What's going on!"

They probably thought these two looked more manageable.

Which was actually true.

"How dare...!"

"It's okay, Luciel."

When Luciel bared her teeth at the people yelling at Ban Yu-won, he extended his hand to stop her (obviously a deliberately staged gesture) and smiled kindly.

"We're looking for a murderer."

"What?!"

The citizens guarding the city gate stared at Ban Yu-won in shock.

In truth, his party members were just as shocked, but they were doing their best to maintain their composure.

"You said there were murders in the city, right? Those were all committed by followers of the 'Evil God.' We've been tracking them. Our mission is to kill them."

"L-lies. Don't think we'll fall for that. You must be working with them!"

"If that were the case, we wouldn't need to be having this conversation, would we? I'm sure you all realize that rejecting us isn't logical."

A series of murders occurring within the city.

That's why people react sensitively to even the smallest changes.

Logically thinking, the probability of an outsider being the murder suspect would approach zero.

"If we leave things as they are, the damage will only spread. You want peaceful daily lives, and we need to find the murderer. Since our goals align, there's no need to be wary of each other."

"W-well..."

"Really? They're hunting the murderer...?"

"But certainly, since they've never even entered the city, they couldn't have committed the murders..."

As Ban Yu-won spoke with strange persuasiveness, the citizens gradually regained their composure.

It was as if he had cast a wide-area status effect removal spell, but this was actually due to Ban Yu-won's inherent authority being enhanced by the recently acquired effect of Ortima's divine word.

However, Ban Yu-won's argument wasn't really appropriate for quietly entering the city—

"No, I still can't trust you! At a time like this, we can't let people who suddenly appear claiming to hunt murderers into the city—"

This was because he had casually mentioned the existence of the murderer, which was currently treated as taboo within the city, thus inviting unnecessary suspicion.

Even if they pretended to have nothing to do with the murderer, they might not have been let in, but he openly declared their purpose!

But of course, this was exactly what Ban Yu-won had aimed for.

"It seems you all accept that we're not murderers. Then your reluctance to let us in when we're hunting the murderer means..."

Hoxy...?

The man who received Ban Yu-won's suspicious gaze became greatly flustered.

"N-no! I'm not the murderer! I'm just trying to protect our city..."

"Then why are you overreacting like this? Last night, did you perhaps..."

"I said no!"

"Now that I think about it, this is really suspicious. These people aren't murderers, so why are you so against letting them in?"

"Could it be that you really...?"

"N-no, I tell you! I'm innocent, I-I really am!"

Huh?

The Rebellion party tilted their heads as they watched Ban Yu-won instantly escape from being the suspect and join the other citizens in cornering one man.

How did it end up like this?

Ban Yu-won briefly explained to his party members in a voice too quiet for the citizens to hear.

"The game has already begun. And the best way to survive in this game is to immediately gang up on and hang anyone who's not on our side."

"You're not even human!"

This was why Ban Yu-won had taken such a strong stance from the beginning.

To make allies of the ignorant majority through persuasion (though it was more like forcing compliance through his authority than persuasion) and then turn against the (clever) minority who still doubted him!

The best way to become friends with someone is to create a common enemy.

Ban Yu-won was just actively putting that into practice!

"There's no doubt, he's the murderer!"

"I knew something was off when he insisted so strongly against letting outsiders in!"

"Hang him! Hang him!"

While his companions stood dumbfounded, the impromptu trial by the citizens grew more heated.

Meanwhile, the citizens' wariness of the outsider party had faded, and they managed to slip into the city.

"Death penalty! Death penalty!"

"Kill the murderer!"

"Everyone, please calm down! No one can be saved this way...!"

"Anyone who tries to stop righteous punishment is also a murderer!"

The madness Ban Yu-won created quickly spread throughout the small city, leading seamlessly from an impromptu trial to execution.

After watching the execution to its end, Dokgo Yeon and Ban Yu-won nodded simultaneously as if realizing something.

"It wasn't him."

"But we're fine."

"...?"

Light tilted his head, not understanding what they meant, but then suddenly seemed to realize something.

"...It wasn't him? The murderer?"

"Yeah. He came on so strong that I had some hopes, but it wasn't him. Guess he was just an overly suspicious person."

"He was probably prepared for such treatment since he accused us of being murderers right away."

"..."

Leaving the pale-faced Light behind, the two continued their conversation.

"Actually, this was also to investigate the trick. It seems we won't face the trick room's sanctions as long as we don't kill directly with our own hands."

"I thought it would be fine from the start. Unless all climbers have abilities like yours, they couldn't clear this room without making any mistakes."

"Ha, haha."

Light let out a dry laugh.

Meanwhile, after watching an NPC die before his eyes and confirming with his own eyes the concept of their disappearance, Ban Yu-won realized with certainty that these weren't real people and declared with a more relaxed expression:

"Alright, now it's your turn. I'll help minimally, so let's see how many more we need to hang before this room ends."

"Light, Luciel, did you hear that?"

"N-no... I hate this! This isn't the tower I imagined!"

"Luciel."

"Yes!"

In the end, Light exploded, but since it was within expected parameters, Luciel immediately stepped in to subdue him.

The trial of blood washing away blood had begun.

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