720 Episode 27 Recycling Center (3)

The guide searched in her arms and immediately handed me a catalog.

In the catalog, there was a drawing of an animal-shaped mask similar to the one worn by the guide.

"What is this?"

"This is the mask you will use there."

Some masks are tigers, some masks are rabbits, and some masks are snakes.

I realized the identity of the masks without difficulty.

This is the 'zodiac sign'.

Rat, cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, and even pig.

There are twelve animal gods that Koreans memorize as 'Jinsaomi Shinyusulhae'.

"You’d better choose carefully. You’ll be taking the placement test soon."

Placement test.

Does that mean that I will soon be taking a test related to the Chinese zodiac?

It was something that did not appear in the 'Ways of Survival' that I had been reading for the past week.

It was said that the 'Recycling Center' has a slightly different worldview in each round, so is that the case this time as well?

After thinking carefully, I chose a mask.

"Then I will do this."

What I chose was the white rat mask. The receptionist waved his hand as if he knew that would happen.

"It’s too bad, but someone already took it."

When I looked closely, the catalog indicated that it was in stock.

"There are almost no masks left in stock?"

"Heh, that’s right. They usually make a reservation before coming in."

"Reservation?"

"Sometimes it is done by a sponsor, and sometimes it is made by an incarnation who researched it in advance and made a reservation…"

I wondered if my sponsor had reserved a mask for me, but I had no chance.

I ended up choosing the only mask that was in stock. It was a white mask without any animal images engraved on it.

"It’s a free ride. There are no advantages, but there are also no disadvantages. It’s only 500 coins."

"Does this place also accept coins?"

"Shouldn’t we make a living too?"

Either prepare the items properly and say something like that.

The guide cleared his throat and added.

"Hmm, and it’s not necessarily a disadvantage to be free of face. In fact, it’s good because you don’t stand out."

The following slogan was blinking next to him:

I looked at the slogan for a moment and said.

"Here are 500 coins."

"Good luck."

The moment I put on the mask, I felt a light breeze envelop my whole body.

As I entered the open space inside the gathering area, the first thing I saw was the running track. The track was divided into a total of twelve lanes.

On the side of the track, there were a bunch of people who came before me, and most of them were Mumyeontal like me.

As expected, the majority of people are behind the scenes.

Of course, there was one incarnation that particularly stood out among them.

At first glance, his physique looks like he is no older than ten years old. The moment I saw the kid with his body covered in black rags, I remembered that the guide had mentioned the word 'black kid' earlier.

Interestingly, the guy was wearing a 'white rat mask'.

Judging from his outfit, it doesn't seem like he met a nice constellation, so did he buy the mask himself?

"Huh? There’s number 12! Nice to meet you!"

When I turned to the direction the voice came from, I saw a man with '11' written on his chest waving his hand in that direction.

"You’re the last player in our group, right?"

"I guess so."

I answered by looking at the number '12' written on my chest.

If this is really a test related to the 'zodiac', the number '12' would be the last one.

Man number 11 smiled broadly.

Judging from his tone of voice and gestures, the man seemed to have a quite sociable personality.

I immediately activated [Character List].

The use of skills is prohibited?

Honestly, I was a little surprised.

Man number 11, unaware that his identity was at stake, looked at me with curious eyes and asked.

"So you also chose the maskless mask?"

"Actually, I was going to choose a different mask."

"Do you mean a rat mask?"

I hesitated and nodded. Man number 11 seemed to have thought the same thing.

Well, it's a thought that anyone who knows even a little bit about the 'Zodiac' lore would think.

But the man who looked at me for a moment fell silent and said.

"Well, you’re lucky."

I was lucky? It's not a bad thing?

As I was about to ask what it meant, a small screen appeared in the center of the track.

The screen showed the twelve people who had participated in the race before us.

As expected, they, wearing their own masks just like us, ran to the end of their respective lanes and reached the finish line one by one.

The moment when the eleventh incarnation finally crossed the finish line.

—Oh, no…!

The last incarnation, who had not yet crossed the finish line, collapsed in despair.

—Sa, save me, please! Help me! I don't want to go back...!

The center of the track disappeared like a sinkhole, and the incarnation fell to the ground.

The eyes of the incarnation watching his fall were all the same. They seemed to be thinking roughly that no matter what happens, they won't end up like that.

When I looked to the side, I saw that man number 11 was also slightly frightened.

I asked him cautiously.

"If he’s lucky, maybe he’ll survive?"

This world is 'Ways of Survival'.

There are plenty of flying skills and items. I myself had 'Sylphid’s Jumping Boots'.

If the only elimination penalty is 'falling', there is a good chance that the man is alive.

However, man number 11 seemed to have a slightly different idea.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes?"

"The 'fall' here has a symbolic meaning."

Suddenly, the expression about the 'Recycling Center' written in 'Ways of Survival' came to mind.

A place where incarnations gather where only one possibility remains, and where there is no longer a hill to cling to.

"Because all the incarnations that come in here admit that they are 'scenario trash'."

The final destination of those who were not selected by a giant nebula or a powerful constellation.

"If you fall from here, there is no place to return to. Even if you go outside, you will only suffer a miserable death."

"But there is a chance of sponsorship."

"It looks like constellations are pretty nice over there."

I realized it again.

It did. The constellations in the <Star Stream> were such beings.

I answered with a bitter smile.

"No, my constellation was very poor."

"Really? Then you can’t fall for that either."

"Yes, I will definitely become a Constellation."

Constellation. That was the purpose of my going up to this 'Recycling Center'.

"If you fully graduate from the 'Recycling Center', you can become a Constellation."

Even though I knew the information from 'Ways of Survival', there were still many secrets in the 41st round.

In order to retrieve the 'Demon King of Salvation' who contributed to the scenario, and to prevent this '41st round' from ending in destruction.

I needed to be at least on equal footing with the stars in the sky.

"Haha, a constellation. You have big dreams. I don’t expect that much, but it would be nice to be recognized by small and medium-sized constellations. If you’re lucky enough to get noticed by the center director, even better—"

"Who is the center director?"

"I don’t know either. He’s never revealed his identity. All I know is that he’s the head of the Small and Medium Nebula Alliance."

The head of the Small and Medium Nebula Alliance?

I thought about the contents of 'Ways of Survival', but I had never read anything like that.

Is this also a feature unique to the 41st round?

A scenario message rang in my ears just at the right time.

It was finally our turn.

I immediately checked the 'different rewards list'.

Of all the items, the one that caught the most attention was the second place product.

I blankly read the product name.

It's definitely true.

This fragment clearly belonged to the 'Demon King of Salvation'.

But why is it here now?

Could it be that this was what it meant?

I don't know.

Anyway, once I learned of the existence of this fragment, I couldn't pretend not to know.

However, as I looked through the list, there was one item that bothered me just as much as the story fragments.

The moment I saw the shiny black combat boots, my mouth opened without me knowing.

No, why is it here?

It couldn't have happened.

Because the owner of that item is already—

"Anyway, this time I just don’t have to finish last. Then I can qualify to enter the Recycling Center."

Man number 11, who had no idea how I felt, wiped his nose and held out his hand.

"Now that I think about it, I haven’t even said my name properly. My name is Weilong Wang."

I thought as I held the man's hand without showing it.

I thought something was strange from the beginning.

Who would have guessed that Bicheonhori, one of the 100 strongest members of the 'Ways of Survival' and Yoo Jonghyuk's tactician, was this man.

By the way, seeing as his way of speaking hasn't changed like that of a martial artist, it seems like he hasn't visited the <Second Murim> yet.

Well, it's still an early scenario.

"I am Kim Dokja."

"Okay, Kim Dokja-ssi. Why don’t we join forces?"

"Do you mean to form an alliance?"

"Only for this game."

The goal of this race is to cross the finish line without being in last place.

In other words, Bicheonhori’s proposal was clear.

"Only one person needs to fall in this match."

At the same time, Bicheonhori’s eyes turned somewhere.

I turned my head to follow his gaze and paused. A pitch-black kid wearing a 'white rat mask' was there.

"Honestly, I don’t feel like it."

"Why? Is it because he’s a kid?"

When I didn't answer easily, Bicheonhori shook his head.

"Kim Dokja-ssi, you are naive. No one knows whether that incarnation is a child or not."

Of course it is.

The same applies even to children. Like the children of the Beggar Sect, there are many children in this apocalypse who deceive or kill adults.

However, the reason I am reluctant is.

"It’s just because I don’t like obvious stories."

"The obvious?"

Bicheonhori blinked his eyes several times and slowly nodded.

"Kim Dokja-ssi, you are an unusual person."

The incarnations who heard the system message entered the lane one by one.

Bicheonhori, standing next to me, relaxed slightly and said.

"But keep in mind, that kid is going to die anyway. He chose the 'white rat mask'."

I couldn't ask what that meant. Because the countdown was starting right in front of my eyes.

With a bang, the incarnations all started at once. Although their running postures were different, everyone had a serious expression on their faces.

This race is a competition based on pure physical ability. Skills, items, and the power of the sponsor cannot be borrowed.

However, there was one force that prevailed in this 'Gyeongju'

The scenery around the area began to sway, and although it was only a slight level, an air current of 'staging' was created.

And then the pitch-black kid started running ahead of the incarnations.

As expected, the pitch-black kid seemed to know about the story of the 'Zodiac Race'.

"The 'Zodiac Race' is a story in which the white rat wins."

The problem is that it was not only the little boy who knew this story.

A sharp shuriken flew into the kid's back with a 'snap' sound.

The kid barely managed to avoid the first shuriken by taking steps, but he couldn't even avoid the kick of another incarnation that was quickly approaching.

With a light groan, the little boy tripped over a rock and fell.

"You idiot. How dare you choose 'rat'?"

In an instant, five or six incarnations rushed in and started trampling on the kid.

The kid couldn't even scream and was beaten.

Arms, legs, shoulders.

Although he was crouching down to reduce the impact, it was clear that the kid would no longer be able to run again.

What the incarnations need is 'one dropout'.

And just now, the incarnations decided that the one eliminated would be that kid.

"I told you so."

Bicheonhori glanced at the little boy as if there was nothing he could do, then looked back at me and said,

"It was a decided game anyway."

After leaving those words, Bicheonhori ran away.

The end of the track was far away, and the leading incarnation was already far ahead. If I delayed any longer, I wouldn't be able to catch up with them.

The kid was struggling and grabbing the dirt on the floor. It looked like he was trying to get up, but his legs seemed to have no strength at all. The ligaments may have been torn.

I walked towards the kid.

"Get on my back."

The pitch-black kid looked up at me. I could see the guy’s round eyes beyond the white rat mask. His eyes trembled inexplicably, as if he couldn't understand my choice.

"Quickly. Are you going to be eliminated like this?"

Eventually, the kid who hesitated grabbed my shoulder. I put the kid on my back and then got up and started running.

The kid who was breathing hard behind my back said.

"What are you doing?"

"What?"

"If you save me, you too will be eliminated."

The kid on my back let out a gruff voice. I chuckled because the way he spoke looked exactly like someone else.

"Are you saying thank you?"

"Something like clumsy sympathy—"

"I don’t pity you."

"I saved you because I wanted to win, my goal is not to avoid last place."

"What—"

My physical ability was now superior to that of any other incarnation of the same level.

That's because my overall abilities have reached the scenario limit standard.

However, the distance was so far that it was impossible to catch up with that alone.

Nevertheless, I faithfully ran while carrying the little boy on my back.

How long did I run like that?

The distance that seemed impossible to catch up began to narrow little by little.

The kid let out a startled voice.

"How—"

It wasn't just the kid. The incarnations, who realized I was pursuing them, were looking back one by one with wide eyes.

I smiled at them and opened my mouth.

"You don’t know how the rat won?"

"You guy, you can’t—"

The fact that 'the rat wins' the 'zodiac race' is already widely known. That's why the incarnation who wears the 'rat mask' is under the greatest pressure.

However, the incarnations were so obsessed with the fact that 'the rat wins' that they forgot one important fact.

The reason I saved the kid is simple.

If it were Kim Dokja, he would definitely have made this choice.

「An animal carrying a 'rat' can definitely take 'second place' in this race.」

That's it.