Soul system:Return Of The SSS-Ranked Troublemaker-Chapter 48: Game Of Fate (6)

"I remember my first visit to Korea. It was during a portal outbreak... I never really got to enjoy it." Zero’s voice sounded through the interface, unexpectedly wistful as tears comically streamed down his system screen.

Zion scowled. I didn’t ask you. You vanished when I needed you the most!

"But someone helped you overcome it," Zero replied calmly.

"Yeah, right," Zion thought bitterly, crossing his arms and turning away. Wait... how did you even know someone helped me?

"I can see what’s around you. Even without appearing," Zero said smugly.

"Still, I don’t forgive you for ditching me like that!" Zion snapped mentally.

Zero gave a small, mysterious smile on-screen. You must learn on your own...

Then, as the group turned a corner, Zion bumped into a stranger—an older man in a coat, face hidden under a wide hat.

"Oh—Sorry, mister," Zion said instinctively, bowing politely

But the man didn’t even glance at him. He just kept walking.

Zion stood still for a second, watching his back.

Something... was off about him.

As the mysterious man walked past them, Calvin gently tapped Zion on the shoulder.

"Hey... you got any plan?" he asked quietly.

Zion’s thoughts shifted away from the strange man as he focused on the question. "Hm... should we split up?"

"Split up? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?" Calvin replied with concern.

"I don’t think so. We’re in a city, after all," Zion answered calmly.

"I agree. If we split up, we can gather materials more efficiently," Karina added.

"But how are we supposed to gather anything when we don’t even have a single cent?" Yin asked, arms crossed.

K grinned, showing his teeth. "Isn’t it obvious? We’re gonna steal."

"Wouldn’t that be... bad?" Sera asked hesitantly.

"Oh, c’mon! We don’t give a damn about that. This is a survival game. The people who came up with this training method should at least compensate the ones we steal from," K said confidently.

"Right, but aren’t there still drones flying around? That could affect our score," Zion reminded them.

"I haven’t seen a single one," Yin noted.

"They probably have some kind of tech to make them invisible. Japan is part of the United Nations, after all," Calvin said thoughtfully.

"Makes sense..." Yin muttered.

"Then, if we’re splitting up, we should at least go in pairs," K suggested.

Before anyone could respond, Karina grabbed Sera’s hand. "Let’s meet up at that statue with the electrical wires," she said quickly, dragging Sera along.

"Oh, we’re going already?..." Sera looked back at Yin, giving him a quick glance.

"Ughh..." Yin sighed under his breath.

"I guess we’ll meet at the electrical wire statue then," K said.

"I’m going with my twin—see ya!" the white-haired twin called out as he left with his black-haired counterpart.

"You wanna go with me, Calvin?" Edith asked, smiling.

"U-uh, sure. I wouldn’t mind..." Calvin replied, blushing slightly.

"Then let’s go!" Edith said with an energetic smile.

"U-uh, okay..." Calvin replied, clearly flustered.

She grabbed his hand without hesitation, pulling him along. The remaining four stood there in silence, a sense of abandonment hanging in the air.

"Ugh, fuck!" K groaned, slapping a hand over his face.

"I’m not crying..." the emo guy muttered, even as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Damn... I miss her already..." Zion thought to himself, a hollow ache building in his chest.

Suddenly, Zero’s screen flickered into view within Zion’s mind.

"They’re like lively birds, aren’t they?" Zero said, his tone light.

"Go away," Zion replied flatly in his thoughts.

Zero simply smirked. "Alright~, I see how it is."

He turned to K. "Even though I liked you, Zion, I think I’ll hang out with this gloomy guy for now. I’ve got something to do."

Zion rolled his eyes. "I don’t really care."

"Cool, cool. Guess I’ll tag along with Yin then," Zion said casually.

And just like that, their own path began.

But as they walked, Zion couldn’t shake a thought. "Wait... what exactly is K planning with that guy? Freezing people...? Shit. Are they gonna start robbing places?!"

Zion’s eyes widened slightly.

Yin glanced at him, noticing the hesitation. "Hm? You good?"

"Ah, yeah, nothing," Zion replied quickly, brushing it off.

Yin nodded. "So, any idea what we’re doing around here?"

"Not really," Zion said with a sigh, clearly disappointed.

They kept walking, navigating the unfamiliar streets. Korean signs lit up every corner, but neither of them could read a word.

"Can you understand Korean?" Zion asked.

"Not at all," Yin admitted with a shrug.

"Damn..."

Their aimless stroll eventually led them to a narrow alley illuminated with flickering neon lights. From deep within, the sound of music, laughter, and chatter echoed.

"...Is that a party?" Zion asked.

Yin tilted his head. "Looks like it."

They exchanged glances—both curious, both cautious—as the lights flickered through the darkness ahead.

"Oh fuck... I think we’re in some kind of red-light district," Zion muttered, glancing around at the dim alley bathed in flickering neon lights.

"Shouldn’t we head back?" Yin asked, unease creeping into his voice.

"We’re already too deep in. Just act natural," Zion replied, trying to sound confident as they continued walking through the narrow alley.

Eventually, they came to a dead end with a weathered door beneath a flickering sign that read: "Hyungseok Loan – Open."

Zion pointed at it. "Look, Yin... a loan shop?"

Yin raised an eyebrow. "Huh... weird place for it." But before Yin could say more, Zion reached for the handle. "Let’s check it out."

The door creaked open, and instantly they were greeted by a room filled with large, intimidating men in matching red shirts, their arms covered in tattoos. A few looked up from their phones and conversations, their eyes narrowing.

"Foreigners," one of them muttered in Korean. "Probably from the forest like the last batch of students."

"Yeah, boss is gonna love this. Bring them in."

Zion and Yin exchanged glances. Though they couldn’t understand the language, the tone wasn’t friendly.

"What are they saying?" Yin whispered.

"No clue. I can’t understand Korean either," Zion whispered back, keeping his voice low.

One of the tattooed men waved them over with a curt hand motion. Zion and Yin hesitated for a moment, then nodded to each other and followed.

The guard led them down a short hallway to a door with bold lettering: "Boss Room." He opened it with a casual push.

Inside, the atmosphere changed immediately.

A sharply dressed man lounged on a luxurious sofa, a fur-lined jacket draped over his toned body. His hair was a messy explosion of dyed colors, his eyes hidden behind orange-tinted glasses. Two beautiful women sat on either side of him in tight, revealing dresses, giggling softly as they leaned into his shoulders.

The man raised his hand and offered a charming grin.

"Yo~" he said smoothly, his voice calm, confident... and dangerous.

Zion and Yin froze for a moment, eyes wide with surprise.

"He can speak English?!" both of them thought in disbelief.

The man leaned back comfortably, flashing a lazy, charismatic grin. "Name’s Hyungseok," he said smoothly, his tone dripping with confidence. "Judging by your childish little outfits... I’m guessing you two are students, yeah?"

"Yes, we are," Zion replied, his voice firm, steady.

Hyungseok raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. "Whoa, whoa. Easy, man. That serious tone of yours? It’s making the room feel tense~ Relax a little."

The girls beside him giggled. "Yesss, oppa~" one cooed as she popped a grape into his mouth.

"Mmm~ juicy," Hyungseok said with a smirk, savoring it dramatically.

Then, with a flick of his hand, he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "Anyway... I think I already know what you’re here for. So? How much are we talking about?"

Zion didn’t flinch. "A hundred million won."

Yin’s eyes almost burst from his head. His spine tingled and he grabbed Zion’s shoulder, panicking.

"WHAT?! A hundred million won?!" he shouted. "Do you even know how much that is in euros?!"

He didn’t get a response.

"Although I don’t know how much worth is 100 million won in euro..."

Zion kept his gaze locked on Hyungseok, completely unfazed. He was serious—dead serious. There was no hesitation in his voice.

Hyungseok, amused, leaned back into his seat, swirling a glass of wine. "Damn~ that’s one crazy number for a loan, kid."

"I figured you wouldn’t believe me or take it seriously," Zion said coolly. "So... lend me a phone. I’ll show you who I am."

But Hyungseok simply waved his hand and smiled.

"There’s no need for that," he said, his tone suddenly colder—deeper. "I already know who you are."

His voice echoed with something unsettling. A shift in the air. A tone that said he knew everything—and maybe more than Zion was ready to reveal.

"I’m a big fan of your family," Hyungseok said, a chilling grin slowly spreading across his face.

[Hello everyone thank you for supporting the series once my moving up was done I’ll upload 2 Chapters a day thank you. -author]