Chapter 1

Chapter 01. Let’s Go Die (1)

 

A woman dressed neatly in a suit came into the cafe. I raised my head and looked at the woman.

 

‘Eighteen.’

 

It was the number of steps it took for the woman to come and sit in front of me. She stopped precisely at the eighteenth step and sat in front of me.

 

Raising my head, I said while sipping on a 10,000-won iced Americano.

 

“Are you Lee Seoju from Golden Line?”

 

She pulled a chair forward solemnly and sat down. Then, she pushed a previously prepared business card and tablet towards me.

 

“You can order coffee and come back.”

 

Lee Seoju, with a slight nod, rose and headed towards the counter to pay. By now, she must be wondering, with a tilt of her head, “What? Did I mention my name?” She’ll mutter to herself. Right about now. 

 

“What? Did I mention my name?”

 

And she adds one more sentence while looking at her phone.

 

‘It wasn’t on our company’s customer data list.’

 

“It wasn’t on our company’s customer data list.”

 

Then, after glancing back and being conscious of my gaze, she hurriedly went to the counter. While Lee Seoju ordered a warm café latte, I raised the business card instead of the tablet that was placed in front of me.

 

[Golden Line Life Insurance Company, Lee Seoju]

 

She returns holding a coffee in a white glass with the logo printed on it and takes a seat diagonally across from me. The chair is tilted at a forty-five-degree angle.

 

She sets down the latte in her left hand, crosses her legs, and sips. Not touching the tablet she had laid out, she instead turns on the screen.

 

“I’ll explain the terms and conditions of Awakened Insurance. If you look at it from here…” 

 

“That’s enough. I’ll sign it.”

 

Cutting off Lee Seoju’s words, I pick up the pen. She’ll probably do that again. Still, I have no choice because I have to explain it due to the regulations… 

 

“Still, I have no choice because I have to explain it due to the regulations. I will only tell you the important provisions. The maximum coverage for a death insurance policy for a 2-Star Awakened is 5 billion. Of course, suicide is not covered, and if death occurs at a gate with a rating significantly higher than the individual’s grade, it won’t be paid out. Ah, instead, as we mentioned, we’ve included a rider to make it possible in large-scale raids. However, it must be approved by the Association, and you need an official participation permit from the Guild.”

 

Then that’s settled. That’s what I want. With a nod, I quickly signed the documents.

 

“Your name is Lee Soohyuk, you’re twenty-two years old. The beneficiary is your younger sister, correct?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“I’ll say it again, you shouldn’t commit suicide. These days, many awakened people commit suicide to collect insurance money.”

 

Everyone thinks that once they become awakened, they’ll hit the jackpot, but reality is harsh. Even if you’re fighting monsters in another world and lose an arm or a leg, it costs at least a few billion to attach it back.

 

What if they can’t reattach it? It means jumping around doing odd jobs at this party and that party until eventually, you die alone in some obscure place where nobody knows.

 

Whether I die like this or like that, since I’m going to die anyway, might as well get some money from the death insurance to leave something for my family before I die.

 

Lee Seoju’s eyes are filled with distrust. Yeah, it’s suspicious even to you that a young awakened in his twenties, who clearly has a long way ahead of him, is holding a 5 billion won death insurance policy even if it’s just 2-Star.

 

But I also have something to say.

 

“I’m not going to die, you know? Haven’t you seen my logs? Even though I’m 2-Star, I’ve been to the Otherworld over a hundred times. Are there any problematic records among these? Huh?” 

 

“….” 

 

“Why are you making someone who’s trying to live their life normally look like a potential suicide case? Anyone would think I’m getting insurance because I want to die.”

 

It’s a lie.

 

I took out insurance money to die.

 

Tak, I slammed the empty glass down, expressing my annoyance. Wow, you’ve come a long way, Lee Soohyuk. At first, I was so intimidated by this woman that I couldn’t say a word, but now I’m the one getting angry and being defiant. Impressive. Really impressive.

 

“That’s because there are so many people like that. Anyway, Soohyuk-ssi, please know that your insurance contract starts tomorrow.”

 

I know, I know. I even paid an extra 200,000 won for this, you know?

 

Lee Seoju emptied the remaining coffee and then stood up. 

 

Lee Seoju, who had packed up her belongings, glanced at the business card on the table and said.

 

“If you need anything, please contact me using the business card number.” 

 

Lee Seoju bowed her head and left the cafe. Even after she left, I sat alone in the café for a while, lost in thought. 

 

“Sigh, it’s exhausting to keep doing this.”

 

How many times was it? Ten? Twenty? No, not that many.

 

I stopped counting after thirty. I just don’t know anymore.

 

So the point is, I die in 48 hours.

 

I don’t know why I die, but I die anyway. And then it goes back to two days ago.

 

Trapped in the cycle of infinity for two days.

 

But the reason for doing this crazy thing is simple.

 

This is because it is the way to give the most money to those left behind.

 

At first, I thought about buying a lottery ticket.

 

It’s not a bad method.

 

Except today is Monday, I die on Tuesday, and the lottery announcement is on Saturday.  Thanks to this, I’m stuck in two days of infinity, but I don’t even know this week’s lottery winning numbers.

 

Even in regression, I have to return during the weekend. That’s the only way to come back knowing the lottery numbers.

 

Anyway, it doesn’t matter because now there is a more reliable method than the lottery.

 

I will die according to the terms, and the person left behind will receive the death benefit.

 

That’s it then. Now, I’ve become the brave man who regresses to ensure the death benefit to those left behind. Impressive, Lee Soohyuk.

 

[Oppa, you have to come after class ends, okay?] 

 

She is the one who will be left behind when I die and return. 

 

At first, I even tried to struggle to get out of this damn regression. I tried every trick I could.

 

There were times when I acted like a crazy person.

 

As for suicide, well, I’ve done it so many times that I don’t even remember. Have I tried it? I have.

 

I felt the pain of losing consciousness as my lungs were filled with water, the pain of my whole body burning, and the pain that felt like it was going to explode.

 

Maybe if there were a world competition for holding back pain, I might come in first place. No, it’s not that I might do it, I’ll take first place. I have confidence.

 

There have been times when people didn’t look like people. Why? What’s the point of dying? I’ll just come back anyway. But when I return to the past, do the people in the future come back to life, or does it become as if they never existed? What exactly happens?

 

I came back two days prior when I died. Even if I stay still, I die of cardiac arrest. But I don’t know why I die. Anyway, I die and come back. 

 

It would be less unfair if I at least knew the reason before regressing!

 

The one who stopped me when I was going crazy was my younger sister, Lee Minah.

 

She pulled me down just as I was about to hang myself, and she ran to me when I was lying twisted from a car accident. Even when I killed someone, the first one to run to the police station was my younger sister.

 

‘Oppa, please don’t die!’

 

‘I believe Oppa wouldn’t have done it. Right? There must have been some misunderstanding. Isn’t that so?’

 

‘Is it because of me? Is it because you’re having a hard time because of me?’

 

‘I’m sorry. I was wrong, so please stop doing this.’

 

She is my only sister in the world.

 

At some point, I became obsessed with myself and forgot the existence of my younger sister. 

 

The reason I barely survived before returning was because of Minah.

 

‘It’s pathetic.’

 

Now that I think about it, it was stupid.

 

After that, I changed little by little.

 

After I die, I don’t know if time is going backward or if time is flowing in another place. But one thing is clear. 

 

If we have a future, there’s no place for Lee Soohyuk. So, I chose the best option. 

 

If I’m going to die anyway, it’s the best way to leave the most money for Minah. 

 

After dozens of trials and errors, I came up with the perfect plan for my death.

 

My death is infinitely more perfect.

 

[Of course. Meet me after school, at the café.]

 

[Yes ㅋㅋ]

 

If she at least answers ‘Yes’ or ‘Okay,’ then what will be lost? Although she is my younger sister, she is not at all delicate.

 

This delicate brother is hurt.

 

After finishing the conversation, I put down my phone.

 

‘2:59.’

 

I tapped my finger on the table exactly ten times. Then, a surprising light flashed and a phone call came through.

 

Cheongyeong Guild, Team Leader Choi.

 

I answered the phone right away as if I had been waiting.

 

[Oh, you got it right away. Are you busy?] 

 

[I’m free. What’s going on?] 

 

[Is that so? Are you interested in a raid? Don’t tell anyone, but our guild leader is crossing into the Otherworld, and there’s an opening.]

 

Kim Dojin, the head of the Cheongyeong Guild and the 9-star Sword God.

 

He was currently one of the most outstanding awakeners in Korea, and indeed in the world.

 

Among the countless Awakeners, he is the only one who has reached the realm of a 9-star. It’s no wonder he’s earned the nickname ‘Sword God.’ 

 

He is truly a god of the sword. When it comes to swordsmanship, Kim Dojin is peerless. Many people even joked that his last name shouldn’t be Kim but Geom(Sword).

 

[Oh, really?]

 

[Yeah. It’s miscellaneous work, but it’s a Grade 6 dungeon. Didn’t you say you needed more money because your sister’s medication costs have increased? If you complete it safely, you’ll be well compensated, so come along.]

 

Team Leader Choi, a 4-star Awakener, had always thought highly of me. He was also one of the few who felt sorry that I remained at 2-star even after two years of awakening.

 

He often gave me various suggestions whenever he had a good opportunity. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that about 1/3 of my behind-the-scenes Gate Log share is the help of Team Leader Choi. 

 

Team Leader Choi contacted me again as soon as a vacancy occurred.

 

‘I liked it at first.’

 

In fact, money was urgent, and even if it was miscellaneous work, being able to participate in a Grade 6 raid with the guild leader wasn’t easy. 

 

Even if it is a 2-star rating, it is difficult unless your identity is guaranteed to some extent. I felt like the trust I had built up so far was being rewarded.

 

But not anymore.

 

This Grade 6 gate is a trap. I’m not sure of the details, but there was a separate real boss.

 

‘Nyarlathotep, Lord of a Thousand Forms.’

 

The creature was a level 80 monster from the Celestial Realm. Monsters above level 50 were called disaster-class or bosses, but the Celestial Realm was the boss among bosses.

 

Everyone was taken aback by the unexpected appearance of the celestial-level monster, and I died there. I don’t even know if the Sword God managed to defeat Nyarlathotep or not. 

 

To put it simply, this party is a mess from the start.

 

[This is great. There is really no one but Team Leader Choi. When can I go? Loyalty, loyalty!]

 

[A kid who didn’t even go to the military is flattering me. There is a briefing in the evening, so come to the guild.]

 

[Yes!]

 

Grade 6 is a perfect condition for death due to an unexpected accident at the gate and receiving death insurance.

 

Let’s go die.