༺ Self-Introducing in the Abyss ༻
“Haah.”
I let out a deep sigh, and that single act grabbed everyone’s attention in the classroom. It was different from Tyr’s innate charisma. Mine was a skill in seizing an audience’s attention—a form of misdirection achieved by reading and calculating every little detail in others; their gazes, gestures, interests, and even their thoughts.
“I suppose there’s no avoiding it. Allow me to introduce my true self, if only for your sakes.”
I assumed a serious demeanor and covered my face, exposing heavy eyes between my fingers. I didn’t show everything, only what was necessary, leaving the rest to their imagination.
Alright, it’s about time I peek into their minds.
｢So you finally decided to spill the beans? Yeah, hurry up and confess! I want to graduate from the abyss already!｣
The regressor felt anticipation.
｢Identity? Well, he must have been dragged down here like myself! As prisoners alike, what does identity matter?! Lad, you are not as bold as the power you wield!｣
The undying was indifferent.
｢…This is terrible. I still do not know what is what. Even if I want to know more about Hu, would I even be able to understand…?!｣
Tyr had a… heck, whatchamacallit. A generational gap issue?
“Woof…”
And when did this one show up?
In any case, since everyone who needed to listen was present, it was about time to start talking.
“Now, I am.”
As I began, I casually pulled something from my pocket: a deck of cards. Without delay, I split it into five piles and spread the cards in line before snapping them back together like a spring. Then I gathered my hands and continued in a voice of genuine melancholy.
“Just a small-time crook who got caught gambling with cards… Really.”
“Hey! You’re gonna keep up the act?!”
“I swear by the Sky God, Mother Earth, and my own honor. And if that’s still not enough, I’ll even swear on my mother, whose face I don’t even know. Would that be proof enough for you?”
“As if it would! A card gambler, you say?”
“I mean, take a look. Don’t you think my sleight of hand stands out as quite extraordinary?”
I showed the regressor the 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of diamonds in succession. Then with a flick of my wrist, they transformed into spades of the same numbers.
｢What? He changed the suit of the cards?｣
Even she lost sight of my movement for a second. Her suspicion momentarily shifted to the cards themselves.
｢Second of the Seven Colored Eyes, Imperious Amber!｣
The regressor’s eyes flickered orange. I halted my magic tricks, mind-boggled by the sight.
Come on, isn’t it cheating to use those colored eyes just to see through a trick?
It was a calculated diversion, but I resolved not to perform any magic in front of this girl again. She’d uncover every move I had up my sleeve.
｢They didn’t change. Two cards were stuck together from the start, back to back! It was just a moment, but he actually managed to fool my eyes!｣
While her recognition did bring me a sense of pride, I still wasn’t going to perform for her. Tricks were life itself to a magician.
I smoothly pushed the spades and diamonds apart as I continued explaining.
“But, I’m not your run-of-the-mill crook.”
I flipped the cards once again, and this time, the spades transformed into clovers. I had merely switched them with cards hidden in my hand, yet this particular trick was so surprising that it made everyone in the classroom shift in their seats.
｢Hold on, what trick is this? Fourth of the Seven Colored Eyes, Penetrating Jade!｣
Screw this!
Before my trick could be exposed, I overturned the teacher’s desk, letting it roll with a crash, and theatrically scattered the cards everywhere. While Azzy looked around in surprise, I collected the cards and bundled them together.
“I’m a famous risk-taker, somewhat of a legend whispered about in the State’s back alleys. A gambler who’s tasted defeat but never any losses. I’m the winning streak of bets, the magician at the card table. That’s who I really am.”
All my grand presentation, however, boiled down to one ultimate truth.
“…A gambler?”
“Putting it so simplistically does sting a bit. But that’s a part of me too! A back-alley magician who deciphers minds, jolts with the unexpected, and entrances adversaries with graceful finesse. And I go by the name of Hughes!”
I stepped back with one foot and mimicked grasping an imaginary hat in one hand while my other hand unfurled in a bow. If that were all, it would’ve been a commonplace greeting—if a stack of white cards hadn’t slipped seamlessly from my left palm to my right, freezing in place.
In my hands, cards were a singular entity yet also a set of 52, an orchestra in which every card fluttered like doves in harmony.
Though my audience numbered just three, I didn’t hold back in showcasing my skill to captivate them.
Wrapping up my impromptu performance, I snapped my fingers and threw out a question.
“Well? Can you believe me now?”
Despite witnessing my full-powered act, the regressor was still in half-doubt.
“So you’re a gambler? Not an assassin or something?”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“Lies! The way you dealt with the colonel was clean enough to pass as an assassin’s work. Yet you’re telling me you’ve never killed anyone?”
“Uh…”
Ah, that part needed some clarification. I scratched my chin uncertainly as I replied.
“You know, there’s something you’re misunderstanding. I was arrested for fraudulent gambling, okay? So technically, I was brought in for a minor offense.”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
“And, do you happen to know this saying? It’s not a crime if you don’t get caught.”
“I did hear it before… Hang on. You’re not saying…”
Having a belated realization, the regressor pointed at me with an astonished look.
“You committed murder, but you’re not a murderer because you didn’t get caught…?”
“Bingo! Ahaha. You guessed it so easily that I’m embarrassed.”
While I smiled awkwardly, she shot to her feet, shouting.
“No, it’s not something to be embarrassed about! You did murder someone before! How on earth does that make you a small-timer?”
“Because I wasn’t caught for a major offense. Oh, but don’t get the wrong idea. Even when I do kill, it’s usually not with my own hands.”
“That makes it even worse!”
Though the regressor groaned and held her head, her confusion seemed to have eased slightly. She spoke in a subdued voice.
“So in a nutshell, you’re saying that the State accidentally caught a bigshot like you while trying to nab a fraudulent gambler?”
“I’m no big shot, just an ordinary gambler. It’s just that sometimes when the stakes get high, there are many who try to win with blades over cards… so I picked up a bit of self-defense.”
“Self-defense, hah. More like assassination techniques.”
“You’re portraying me as some villain, but I’m a relatively decent person! I normally strolled through the back alleys, bringing smiles to the faces of gloomy kids!”
“It would be a relief if those kids didn’t cry…”
Watching the regressor mutter absentmindedly, I maintained my smile while inwardly releasing a sigh of relief.
I did it. That was a huge hurdle out of the way.
“Then, what about your warden impersonation at the start?”
“Who’d reveal their true identity right off the bat? Still, I didn’t expect a blade to come flying my way for it.”
“How did you manage to deflect Chun-aeng?”
“I’m used to such surprise attacks. But I have to admit it was half a coincidence that I hit the side of the blade. My card skills really shone through, didn’t they?”
“And how about seeing through my stealth?”
“Honestly, I didn’t see through it. I just figured out your personality, Mr. Shei. Your thoughts are clear as day, y’know?”
“Ugh!”
While the regressor was briefly stunned by the truth, I sighed and quietly continued speaking with melancholic eyes.
“Hah. I was keeping it hidden because there’s no pride in having taken a life… yet this is how it all comes out. I suppose there’s no helping it. The past can’t be erased. You can only try to forget it.”
I played the role of a criminal denying their past, while also providing a pretext for my continued anonymity.
Seeing me lament, Tyr cautiously comforted me.
“Do not blame yourself, Hu. All who survive stand atop the dead. I care not how many you have slain.”
I felt grateful, though it was a bit odd to hear that coming from someone who had killed over five digits of people. It was like receiving recognition from an even greater criminal.
“Come now, that is hardly anything! I do not mean to boast, but I have torn apart two people myself! Let us not grumble and simply take it easy!”
In the undying’s case, he was just scary. How could he rip people apart like paper? Wouldn’t he do the same to me with the wrong provocation?
The regressor, who had more or less come to terms with the situation, suddenly asked as if something had occurred to her.
“But then, how did you find out the secret of the abyss?”
“Well I just, picked up bits and pieces from places, then figured it out using what I discovered here. Small criminals like me tend to imagine such things when we’re bored, you see. Like how Tantalus is structured and how one might escape.”
“…So you knew that you were big enough to be taken to Tantalus.”
“Hey now! I keep telling you that’s not it! You’re gonna end up jinxing me with that bigshot nonsense!”
The atmosphere had notably eased compared to before. The regressor appeared quite content with my responses.
｢A bigshot who unluckily got caught. That’s enough to explain everything.｣
Wariness was an emotion with poor mileage; it took a lot of energy to maintain sharp tension. This was why, after maintaining a state of high alert for so long, the regressor wanted to relax her nerves following the conclusion of the recent attack. Hence, she sought an explanation from me and settled for my less-than-perfect answers.
｢But, what I still don’t understand… is how he got Tyrkanzyaka to—｣
To prevent the conversation from heading into even stranger territory, I changed the subject.
“By the way, I’m more curious about you, Mr. Shei.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes. I was really taken in, but you deliberately infiltrated this place, right? You’re equipped with all sorts of treasures and even have someone coming to rescue you later.”
I sat on the toppled teacher’s desk, continuing in a subtle tone.
“Aren’t you the true powerhouse here? I’ve yet to hear of a swordsman as young and strong as you are. Mr. Shei.”
“Powerhouse? Ha.”
The regressor chuckled before responding casually.
“Sure, a powerhouse. You could call me that.”
“You even mentioned that a priest of Mother Earth was coming to rescue you.”
“She’s not really a companion, just an acquaintance. But how’d you know she’s a priestess of Mother Earth?”
Now, her retorts held no lingering suspicion. It seemed that I could rest easy for the remaining time we had here, which was great. Really great.
I replied with a considerably lighter heart myself.
“Didn’t you say she’s someone capable of obliterating the abyss? It’d be odder not to know, considering the origin of this place.”
“The origin of the abyss…? It’s just the land cursed by Mother Earth, isn’t it?”
“Everybody knows that. I mean why she cast that curse.”
The regressor still looked puzzled. Did she really not know, even though she came here? Surely not.
I gazed at the regressor, clutching my forehead.
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