Bugged Player: Leveling Up In Realms Meant For My Death Chapter 1: The Mark

Read chapter 1 of Bugged Player: Leveling Up In Realms Meant For My Death by DemoiselleAhkinie on NovelPedia.

“Is he crying?” A rough voice snorted. “Why won’t he look up at us?” “Oh please! He wouldn’t be our go-to outlet if he was this easily broken!” In a quiet corner of a wide lobby, four figures stood. Bo Haekyun, a red-haired boy, stood at the center, flanked by two others. In front of them was a boy with black hair, shoulders slumped and head bowed. “If not crying, then is he cursing his fate? Hahaha!” Bo Haekyun taunted with a laugh. Crossing her arms, the girl on the other side, Shim Sion quipped. “What do you expect? Would he dare look us in the eye? We are on a completely different level, very different. He just knows his place.” The other boy, Ma Naki, nudged forward, chuckling. “He’s gonna cry. I swear he is.” Their mocking laughter rang loud. But another sound soon followed. “Kkuhu!” A cough. Ah— what am I doing? I can’t break character now. Contrary to what they believed, a near maniacal smile was what stretched across the boy’s face. I have to hold it in, like always, no breaking. Breathe. Calmly. Think of the monks. He almost laughed. Honestly, I’d qualify at this point. The boy’s hand twitched at his side, pinching into his pants. What was that saying again? Peace is bliss? Peace is bliss! “He must want to cough out his heart from fear lol.” Ma Naki stuck out his tongue. “Blegh! That would be so disgusting!” “He wouldn’t!” Shim Sion remarked confidently. “Can he dare be unmannered in front of Chosen like us? He doesn’t even come close to our shoes!” Peace is bliss, the boy chanted within him, eyes quietly agreeing with what Shim Sion said. ‘He doesn’t even come close to our shoes.” That much was true. After all, the very building I’m standing in is a facility dedicated to training the Chosen; them. They were the mark bearers—heroes that prophecy promised would save their nations from ruin. And what was he among them? A scrub! A mere cleaner in the midst of the revered saviors. His side job? An outlet! Entertainment to the likes of them. But it wasn’t pride nor weakness that kept his head low, it was necessity. He could hit back. Probably win. But then the bills, siblings, rent… The boy’s shoulder rose high and fell in a low sigh. Haa.. cleaning’s not glamorous, but it keeps them fed. For someone like him who could barely read beyond the basics, it paid better than anything else he could get. “Pathetic,” Shim Sion muttered, stepping closer. "At least act like a person when we're talking to you." The boy’s lips pressed together bitterly. These platinum-spoon-born kids got the opportunity to be a chosen, but a scrub like me who desperately wished for it didn’t. But it wasn’t anything new. The privileged always got the chances. And while it was a burden to some of them, to me, it was a way out…. if I could ever grab it. What better way was there to live and be respected than to be a government-backed savior? GRAB! Shim Sion’s hand shot forward, tangling into the boy’s hair before wrenching his head backward. “There,” she forced his face up. “Let’s see what expression a non-Chosen makes when he’s standing in front of people chosen by fate.” Bo Haekyun leaned forward, studying the boy’s face. “What’s this? He doesn’t even look affected.” Ah— did I blow my cover? The boy’s eyes rolled to the side, avoiding their gazes as cold sweat beaded his face. He was already in turmoil because of his situation, but a sight in the distance bruised his faltering composure further. A co-worker, standing feet away from them with a face ashen with worry. Though not shocked since this was a regular occurrence. His mouth fell slightly ajar, calling out in a breath, “Yuin.” This was Garam, an older colleague that was close to Yuin. He was a man that, despite the harsh treatment of life, remained kind to a fault. Even after losing his only daughter about two years ago, nothing about his character changed. So, inside the den of chosen where they were nothing but garbage, Garam was the sole gem, an embodiment of unbridled