ReLife Player

[Kindergarten Hero (3)]

«What… what’s going on?»

At some point, the cicadas stopped chirping.

There was no sound of the wind.

Only the sun beating down on the ground.

«Don’t…d-don’t stay here.»

Holding onto Eunhyeok’s sleeve, Hayang had a different face than a moment ago. The large ribbon was drooping, and her face was changing from moment to moment.

The emotions on her face were unexplained anxiety, worry, sadness, discomfort, and finally, fear of death.

Eunhyuk didn’t know how to describe the various emotions she was showing.

He only knew this.

That she was on the verge of crying.

«What’s wrong. What did I do!»

Fear is contagious. Eunhyeok didn’t know the intricacies of Hayang’s mind, but he couldn’t help but feel terrified when she was so anxious and tearful about something.

Whether he did or not, she tugged on his sleeve more.

«I, I don’t know. But…, I don’t think we should be here.»

«What do you mean? There’s nothing here. I can’t even hear any sounds.»

Still, she shook her head repeatedly. She was so desperate that he couldn’t argue that she should stay in the flower bed.

«Alright, then let’s go with the teacher.»

«Let’s go, let’s go.»

«Okay, Okay!»

I didn’t reach my goal, but I couldn’t help it when Hayang looked at me like this.

Eunhyuk picked up his sword from the wooden pole and headed back to the Evergreen Class.

Kiruk

«─Eh?»

A sound like scraping metal.

When he heard a sound that seemed like laughter, a small creature fell from the roof right above his head.

«Aaahhhhhhhhhh!!!»

«Eunhyuk-!!!»

Eunhyuk’s eyes were filled with the sight of tanned green skin and a face with eyes and nose pulled upward.

He froze in place as he met the red eyes of the monster that had overtaken him.

He would have stayed on the ground if the grotesque creature hadn’t opened its mouth wide.

He would have been devoured if he hadn’t woken up when he saw the darkness in the creature’s open mouth.

Almost reflexively, he stretched out his arms and tried to push off the creature’s shoulders to break free.

But his strength wasn’t enough to push the creature off of him from above.

A scream escaped his lips as he watched the creature loom over him, mouth open, unable to let go.

«Aaahhhhh-!!!»

«Don’t! Don’t!»

She didn’t want to think about what would have happened if she hadn’t rushed in and pulled the monster off.

It was none of his business how she managed to pull the monster off of him, which he couldn’t get rid of no matter how hard he tried.

Eunhyuk stood up with her support. His legs were shaking from the fear of the monster in his head.

Kyruk, Kryuhk

He couldn’t tell what the monster was saying, assuming it was even talking. But he could tell that it was treating them like toys.

The creature’s eyes were like his own when he was debating whether to eat his favorite side dish first or later.

As it slowly approached, Eunhyuk realized that he was just one of the side dishes on the table.

«R-run away! Q-quickly!»

The predator’s position changed. From being the eater to being eaten, Eunhyuk couldn’t think straight in this situation.

He just did what came to mind.

With his mind jumbled with all sorts of thoughts, he shouted and ran, holding onto Hayang’s equally jumbled hand.

His legs didn’t move properly. As if they weren’t his own. His legs wouldn’t listen to him.

Still, he had to run. I have to get away from the monster.

With that thought, he forced his legs to move, which felt like they would fall if he made the slightest mistake.

Don’t look back. Don’t look back!

Because if he looked back, he would stop walking.

«Hic, uh, hic, hic, ah, dad…!»

«Don’t cry! Run!»

Hayang ran after him, her voice filled with tears.

Eunhyuk felt like crying too. He could only grit his teeth as Hayang cried. He realized that if he cried, he wouldn’t be able to escape the monster and would be eaten.

«What, what, why won’t it open?»

When the door to the kindergarten didn’t open, his eyes went black. Panic set in. The door wouldn’t open, so he banged his head against it, trying to force it open somehow. In his urgency, he yelled at the door to open in a poorly formed sentence.

Kriuk

And the monster kept its distance, watching the two children with amusement.

As if to tell them to run away if they could, and see what it would do next.

«Uhk…!»

At this point, I couldn’t think of anything. No matter how hard I tried, the door wouldn’t open. I don’t want to be eaten by the monster.

I want to live.

I want to live.

Eunhyeok looked back at Hayang, who held his hand. Her face was wet with tears, and she was freaking out at the sight of the approaching monsters.

If it’s just one.

She might be able to live.

When he thought about it, it was true. Eunhyeok was the most athletic in the class, and Hayang was the most unathletic.

Taking such a child with him, they couldn’t run far enough from the monster.

Even now, if he left her and ran away, he might be able to escape the monster.

So…

«… Eun…hyuk?»

«…Get ready to run.»

You can’t abandon her and run!

He’d always wanted to be a hero, a player who saved people from monsters.

But how can he talk about being a hero when he can’t even protect a girl?

More importantly, can he have fun as usual if he abandons her and survives?

He didn’t know. Complicated things were beyond him.

He’s a kindergartener, and he only knows one thing.

The only thing he, a kindergarten student, knew was that if he left her, ran away, and survived, he wouldn’t be the same person he had been until now.

«Run!»

Coming to his senses, Eunhyeok signalled to Hayang. Breathing heavily, she followed, clinging to his hand as if she wouldn’t let go.

Without thinking about it, they ran to the playground, just to get away from the monster.

After circling the building and reaching the playground, Eunhyuk realized his mistake.

The playground was wide open. This made it difficult to find a place to hide.

«Now what do we do…»

«…The adults will come to rescue us. We just have to hide until then.»

«Should we hide inside the slide?»

Eunhyuk shook his head. Somehow, it seemed like the monster would easily find them even if they hid in the slide. Then, they would be caught without being able to escape properly.

«Let’s climb up there.»

He remembered the jungle gym.

No matter where they were, the monster would find them anyway.

In that case, it seemed best to use the limited space and make use of the jungle gym, where they could run away.

«You go up first.»

«Uh, yeah.»

Eunhyuk pushed Hayang up onto the jungle gym.

And when he tried to climb up after her,

Kiruk

A monster revealed itself. It looked at the two climbing up the jungle gym with an axe in its ragged waist pouch.

«…You go up first.»

«You, you…! You should climb up too!»

«I’ll deal with them until the adults get here.»

«Don’t do that! Please don’t do that! Come up!»

Hayang shouted as she climbed the jungle gym, but Eunhyuk didn’t hear her.

«Whoa….»

I don’t know what I am thinking.

He thought that if he was on the jungle gym, if he was lucky, the two of them would survive, or at least one of them.

But I chose not to climb the jungle gym, choosing instead to face the monster.

The moment my feet touched the ground, I regretted it.

It was scary.

It was impossible not to be scared.

His hands, feet, and entire body trembled like an aspen tree.

Nevertheless, Eunhyuk drew the toy knife on his back to take on the monster.

Yes, a knife.

If I didn’t have this knife, if I didn’t dream of being a player for nothing, I would have gotten on the jungle gym.

From the moment he carried a sword, even if it was a toy one, he knew he wanted to defend someone like a warrior.

And now he’s dealing with goblins.

«…Let’s fight, come on. You are not even worth a beep.» (1)

Eunhyuk taunted the monster, recalling a line from his favorite player, Kang Hyuncheol.

I still don’t know what a beep is. I could only guess that it was a bad word used to taunt an opponent.

I wonder if the monster understood.

The corners of the monster’s mouth twitched upward, but then it stiffened.

Its eyes flashed, and it snatched up its axe and charged.

It’s okay. Just follow the training!

I held my breath as the creature charged.

His stiff body didn’t move easily. Contrary to what I thought in my head, my body only moved when the monster was right in front of me. His movements were also very slow, unlike what he had practiced.

There was no way the creature could be blindsided. With its tiny mouth curled up, the creature struck at the base of the toy sword just as it passed overhead.

«Ah…!»

The toy knife fell out of his hand, spinning in circles in the air.

«Ah….»

It was over.

I couldn’t hide my wide-open pupils.

Kkykk Kkyukk Krk

As if to ask if the fun was over.

The creature stepped back, making a sound like scraping metal.

«Ah….»

My mind went white. I couldn’t think of anything.

I hadn’t expected my mind to be so quiet, so full of thoughts just a few moments ago.

My head felt hot, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My vision was wobbly and I felt like closing my eyes.

Yeah, closing my eyes would be easier.

This must be a dream.

The next time I wake up, it’ll be like nothing happened–.

«Ah, ah….»

«Eunhyuk…!»

Eunhyuk, who had been denying reality and losing his mind, snapped out of it at the sound of his name being called.

What if this isn’t a dream?

What if this is reality?

If I close my eyes like this, will it end?

No, no. I don’t want to die like this.

I’m scared. Someone help me. Dad, mom.

Why why why why. Everything I’ve ever wanted has come true!

But why won’t you listen to me!

«Euhyeo-ah…! Huuk, sob, hurry up and come up….»

On the jungle gym, Hayang was calling out to him.

Krk Kkryk

The monster’s gaze fell on Hayang. As if Eunhyuk wasn’t there anymore, the monster headed to the jungle gym.

He’s alive

At that moment, the fear of death disappeared.

Eunhyuk felt an involuntary sense of relief. I had the complacent thought that if I stayed put, the adults would come to my rescue while she was running away from the goblins.

Yes, if she can buy him some time-.

«─Don’t be ridiculous! Beep! Get lost!»

No way.

It was ridiculous.

There was no way that the sluggish Hayang could run away from the goblin. If she was captured by the monster, she wouldn’t be able to escape and would be eaten.

If she was lucky, she might even survive. Maybe the full monster would pass her by, and in the meantime, the adults would come to her rescue.

Yes, they’ll come for you.

They’ll come for you,

They’ll come to the rescue.

«─Don’t be ridiculous!»

He wanted to be a player, not a survivor at the expense of others.

A glint of recognition flashed in the monster’s eyes. At this moment, the monster was more interested in him for his unyielding strength than the mana-rich pale girl.

It licked its lips. Its long tongue flicked across its lips, and its eyes asked.

Are you really going to protect her?

Eunhyuk’s answer was unchanged.

«No way!»

I don’t know what I’m thinking.

I don’t know why my body, which hadn’t moved for so long, was moving at will for this moment.

There was nothing in his hands, and yet Eunhyuk was leaping toward the monster.

The monster’s mouth curled upward as if to say that this was just another game.

The distance between the monster and Eunhyeok got smaller and smaller,

and then the monster’s axe slashed at him,

«Ah, a-ah….»

«Eunhyuk…!»

The moment the axe blade came in front of his eyes.

A figure appeared in an instant, aiming for the gap between them.

«Good job, you’re a real man.»

─Eh?

The wind blew.

With a swishing sound.

In a world where nothing could be heard, a voice was heard, and a soft breeze seemed to envelope them.

«Wah….»

In front of me, No Eunha confronted a monster.

«Above….»

Danger!

Before he could yell, Eunha rolled over and picked up the toy knife he’d dropped earlier.

«Don’t fuss.»

It took a moment.

The knife, pulsing with blue energy, sliced the leaping monster left and right.

The creature that had given him the fear of death crumbled to dust and disappeared into the wind.

«Wow….»

A small exclamation arose.

There it was, just as Eunhyuk had hoped.

Like a hero in a story defeating a demon-.

The person he had dreamed of becoming, the person he wanted to be, was right there, without missing a beat.

«Uh…. Whoa, whoa, whoa…. You-u, warrior. There’s a real warrior…!»

«What the hell, get off me!»

I didn’t want to let go. In the joy of being alive and the excitement of meeting the person of his dreams, Eunhyuk threw away his pride and everything else and clung to Eunha.

«Uhhhhhhhh…! Warrior…!»

«Aaahhhhh…! I was scared…!»

Before I knew it, Hayang, who had gotten off the jungle gym, was also hugging Eunha.

What the hell. I hugged him first!

Eunhyuk tried to push away Hayang, who was trying to steal his place.

Hayang was not just sitting still either.

Eunhyuk couldn’t help but notice the tearful way she glared at him.

This is real. Someone saved me.

Get away from the prince!

Eunha isn’t a prince, he’s a warrior!

The two people in Eunha’s arms were arguing with their eyes.

☆

─It was from then on.

In the not-too-distant future, the Eunha Division would be mentioned as a joke.

Eunhyuk vowed to devote his life chasing Eunha.

Hi there, I will be realizing a mass release in the following days (without getting any sleep…lol jk) the reason behind this is that in the next week school starts…the good news is that is my last year, the sad news is that I will be busier with stuff like thinking about college and final exams. So after the mass release (about 15 ch? or more), I will be updating every two days 4 chapters! Happy reading!