Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

"How could you!?"

The little boss's scream echoed in the silent park. YuWon had forced the old man into a corner, and he admitted to working for Lucifer, or rather, the Parade Master.

The looks of admiration everyone gave the old man turned into disgust. It was a good thing the old man was blind or else their stares would have driven him insane.

Thankfully, there were only a few guards with the little boss.YuWon could still salvage the situation to his benefit.

"You're strong. If you wanted to, you could have cleared the trials yourself," YuWon commented. "So why stoop to becoming an informant? For a few scraps of reward?"

The old man stayed silent, his lips pressed tightly together. He didn't want to admit it and give away his weakness. But people like him were an open book and YuWon already read him.

"It's because of the Little boss, isn't it?" YuWon pressed further.

"I have a name, it's Se-Won!" Little boss stomped his foot.

YuWon shook his head and turned to the old man. At first, he said nothing, but then sighed and nodded.

"The Parade Master promised to keep the Se-Won alive in exchange for your help," YuWon said.

"…Yes."

A bitter laugh escaped the old man's lips as he recounted the story.

They had been stuck in the amusement park for a few days now. On the first night, the old man and a couple of others tried breaking into the souvenir shops and getting some food.

They could have bought the things through the coupons, but the only problem was, none of them had any. The rides were difficult to conquer and many had lost their lives trying to achieve what they thought to be impossible.

Unfortunately, they didn't know about the parade.

When they came across one, it was a massacre. However, the Parade Master stopped the monsters before killing him. The Parade Master wasn't interested in killing him. Instead, he gave the old man an offer.

If the old man became a spy for the Parade Master, he would let him live.

In his desperation, the old man agreed, but instead of his safety, he asked the Parade Master to spare Se-Won's life. The Parade master agreed but pointed out he couldn't let two people live without additional compensation.

"…that's how I lost my eyes," the old man said, hanging his head in shame. "Se-Won's safety is crucial for everyone's safety. That's why I had to ensure his safety, even if it meant damning myself."

As the tale ended, the hostility in the guards' eyes softened, replaced by reluctant pity.

Yes, pity him, or else my plan won't work.

"You've been feeding the Parade Master information about the awakeners, haven't you?" YuWon pressed.

"…yes."

"Do you even realize how many people you've sacrificed—!"

"Soo-Ah, that's enough." YuWon said, gently grabbing her shoulder.

The old man hesitated, then asked, "Are you going to tell them?"

YuWon shook his head. Exposing the truth would only complicate his plans. Besides, the person who mattered most—Se-Won—already knew.

As for why he asked about telling others…

The old man wasn't worried about himself. If his betrayal were revealed, the people wouldn't just ostracize him—they'd kill him. But Se-Won? He'd be caught in the fallout.

Se-Won had worked hard to be in the position he was. But people won't think about the things he had done and automatically assume he was involved in the mess along with his uncle.

However, the survivors won't kill him. Since Se-Won was a walking safe zone. But they would definitely distance themselves and the young Se-Won would be devastated by it.

If the Parade master goes back on his word and attacks the camp, the people might even kill Se-Won first.

Se-Won could offer them a safe zone, but YuWon could think of a dozen ways Lucifer could get rid of it. When that happened, Se-Won would've outlived his usefulness and hence would be dealt with.

"No need to tell anyone," YuWon mumbled. "If anyone spreads the information, I'll get rid of them before they can even say a word."

The guards were confused. If they already tell people about the old man's betrayal, then how would YuWon silence them before they spread the information?

In their eyes, YuWon was a strong fool, but a fool nonetheless.

Even Soo-Ah wanted to object, but predicting her reaction, YuWon gently pressed her shoulder as if asking her to trust him, so she didn't say a word.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

As for YuWon, he didn't bother with their gazes, instead; he helped the old man and asked him to walk with him. Se-Won and the others tried to follow, but YuWon stopped them.

"I won't harm him," he told Se-Won. "You have my word."

Se-Won looked at the old man and nodded, reluctantly stepping away. Once they walked out of earshot, the old man immediately turned to ask why was YuWon forgiving him, but YuWon cut him off.

"I'm not a self-righteous hero to forgive you," he said. "But I'm interested in using your link to my advantage."

"…what do you mean?"

"Since you wanted to act like an agent, why don't you try being a double agent?"

The old man stopped. A double agent? If the Parade Master got to know about it, he'd be killed, along with everyone else.

"That won't happen," YuWon said, as if reading the old man's thoughts. "The Parade Master thrives on chaos. Killing everyone would ruin his fun. That's why he limits the number of people who can attempt the rides each day."

"So does that mean—!"

"He wanted you as a spy so he'd know where the people are and how many of them are there. He doesn't want everyone to die. Just enough of them to have his fun."

The old man took a deep breath and nodded. He would go along with YuWon's plans, but he had a condition.

"No matter what, you'll protect Se-Won. If you promise me that, I would gladly die for you."

YuWon smiled and nodded. He had no intention of letting someone like Se-Won die. He would have protected the walking safe zone even if the old man didn't ask for it.