Memorize

"Hah... I just can't stand this anymore!"

"Eek!"

Park Dong-Gul, who had been scanning the surroundings, suddenly raised his voice and stepped into the center of the open space, as if he had been waiting for the right moment. Shin Woo, startled by the sudden outburst, made a surprised sound. In that fleeting moment, Park Dong-Gul cast a satisfied smile at Shin Woo, not missing the chance to assert dominance. It was a clear move to intimidate, or in simpler terms, just showing off.

"Hey! Do you guys not know anything about this damn shitty situation? Huh?"

An Sol was trembling, buried in An Hyun's arms. The two women, who An Hyun and I hadn't been able to check, were showing different reactions.

One had a relatively calm expression, but the other seemed displeased with Park Dong-Gul's sudden commotion. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. I was momentarily curious about their user information but decided to observe the man's actions first.

"Is everyone here mute? Stop keeping your mouths shut and say something, anything."

Arrogant.

Was he trying to show off his temper or just flaunt himself? Park Dong-Gul, displaying a violent demeanor, forcefully kicked a fist-sized rock that was nearby. The rock flew up with considerable force and disappeared into the forest. His sudden action was met with an awkward silence among those seated. However, I could clearly hear that there was no sound of the rock hitting the ground.

Growl.

In that moment, a faint growling sound resonated through the quiet forest. Even if the sound of the rock hadn't been heard, it seemed that everyone heard the growling. A fleeting look of anxiety crossed their faces. Though I couldn't remember everything from ten years ago, I felt distant memories slowly surfacing.

What had happened at this place back then?

"Damn it! Who the hell is this? If you have a problem, come out right now. Speak up, okay? Is it you? Or you?"

Park Dong-Gul pointed at those who seemed relatively weaker with a sneer. Bo-rim and Shin-Woo, their faces pale, urgently shook their heads. At that moment, a woman who had been glaring at Park Dong-Gul rose indignantly. It seemed she had been holding herself for quite a while.

"Sir, can you please stop? What are you doing at your age?"

"What? What~? Stop? At my age? Are you talking to me like that?"

"Yes, I said it. So what? Aren't you embarrassed? Why are you yelling and causing a fuss when everyone's in the same situation?"

"Now you're speaking informally? What kind of upbringing did you have that you're speaking so disrespectfully to an adult? Did your parents teach you to act like this?"

"Bitch? Ha, let's see...let's see.... Yeah, so do your parents teach you to fuck around and bang kids, you piece of shit!"

I chuckled to myself as I watched the woman hit hard without backing down. At first, Park Dong-Gul just laughed as if he was dumbfounded. But soon, his face was turning red as if he was getting angry. He snorted loudly and then walked towards the woman with steps that seemed like he was going to eat her.

Soon, Park Dong-Gul, standing in front of the woman, opened his mouth with a grim expression on his face.

"Hey, bitch. What did you say about my parents? Say it again."

If an average adult man was treated like this, he would be terrified. However, I don't know if it was because the woman was strong, or if she was just fearless, but she looked Park Dong-Gul straight in the eye and snorted.

"It's funny. Do you think I'd be scared if you did that? Did your father and mother teach you that? "You fucking bastard!"

"This fucking bitch is really trying to … ."

Park Dong-Gul's fist slowly rose into the air, as if he truly felt deep anger. Despite this, the woman did not blink an eye. Just like that, Park Dong-Gul was about to get into shape to throw a punch.

"Hey, mister. Cut it out."

For the first time, An Hyun spoke up. Park Dong-Gul, who had been about to slap the woman's face, turned around with a look of disbelief at An Hyun. From the side, it was clear that An Sol was tugging at his sleeve. Nevertheless, An Hyun pushed on and spoke up again.

"He's not wrong. We're all in the same situation, so why are you acting like this? What did those people do wrong?"

"These… these bastards…"

Park Dong-Gul, his face reddening with shame, bit his lip hard. It seemed that the raised fist, feeling the gazes directed at him, began to lower. As the woman gave a slight, mocking smile, Park Dong-Gul let out a roar of frustration and turned away. He sat back down, grumbling incessantly, looking like he was about to explode with anger at things not going his way.

"Fuck, what are you staring at? Can't you turn your eyes away?"

Unable to contain his rage, Park Dong-Gul took his frustration out on the nearby Lee Shin-Woo, who had been sitting quietly. Lee Shin-Woo, with a look of bewilderment, moved away from his seat. Just then, the scene took a turn.

"Growl."

The growl we had just heard echoed clearly in our ears once more. At that moment, I was finally able to solidify a vague memory into something concrete.

Back then, we would have been scattered in confusion due to a sudden attack while merely wasting time. The cause was Park Dong-Gul's earlier stone-throwing incident and the loud confrontation with the woman.

This was all I remembered about these people. I didn't know what happened afterward, but considering I hadn't seen them again in the Hall Plane...

'Does that mean everyone died in the rites of passage? Though, An Sol might be an exception.'

If things continued like this, we might end up repeating the first cycle exactly. No, it would definitely happen.

I decided to offer a bit of assistance. However, I didn't plan to intervene directly. For now, I intended to help them just enough to get them moving and coordinate their efforts. With that in mind, I picked up the crossbow.

"Clink!"

"Excuse me. What are you doing right now?"

Everyone seemed highly alert, with even the smallest noise drawing their attention.

The person who spoke to me was the woman who had earlier displayed such impressive wit. At least she had the courtesy not to use informal language right from the start. Although Park Dong-Gul seemed to have a particularly strong grudge against her.

"I'm feeling uneasy."

"I'm more uneasy about that crossbow."

"Well... Where do you think we are right now?"

"Excuse me?"

The woman widened her eyes in surprise. Her gaze was sharp and intense, but overall, she had a rather attractive face.

"I've encountered many inexplicable situations since coming here. Isn't that the case for everyone here?"

"Well... I suppose so..."

People nodded their heads in agreement. The Summoning Room, the angel, the transfer—these experiences were likely familiar to them. Therefore, what was essential for them now was to quickly accept the reality, even if it was challenging, and adopt an active approach to survive the rites of passage.

I started loading the crossbow with arrows. Though it was a bit smaller than usual for a crossbow, its detachable design made it quite convenient. Seeing my actions and hearing the earlier growl, the others began to ready their weapons.

Soon, everyone except those who had arrived empty-handed had armed themselves. Preparations were nearly complete. I took a moment to calmly survey our surroundings.