Ch.220Futri (4)

# 220. Futri (4)

“Key to Return Home (6)”

“I Give Up”

“Exclude One Other Person”

The choices were presented not as system messages as I had expected, but in a completely normal, analog manner. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

If only this crazy horse’s main attack wasn’t going berserk.

Fortunately, I was intensely focused on not missing anything that might appear, because the signboard with the choices appeared only once.

I wasn’t expecting it to appear periodically like highway signs, but this seemed a bit extreme. Futri would probably just laugh and say, “Isn’t this what makes Futri more fun? Kekeke.”

Moreover, changing direction itself was a challenge. The horse was so powerful that I had to use my entire body to pull it to the left.

I barely managed to turn left at the first choice, but I was already exhausted. Yet there was no time to rest. I never knew when something might suddenly appear, and if I zoned out even for a moment, I might end up as a half-ghost along with what used to be a carriage.

‘The first choice is quite blatant.’

One key, two siblings.

Six keys, seven raid members excluding Danya.

There wasn’t even an attempt to deny the connection.

It was a question with such an obvious answer that I could choose without hesitation, knowing I’d pick the same answer a hundred times out of a hundred, but…

“If I Give Up, The Raid Members Say They Will Give Up Too”

“Persuade The Raid Members”

“Agree With The Raid Members”

The second choice was longer than the first, and I almost missed it. Fortunately, this one didn’t require much deliberation either.

What agreement? What nonsense.

If such a situation really occurred, I would—maybe not without any hesitation—but I would send my companions back to Earth. After all, the fundamental reason they’re going through this hell is because I summoned them.

It’s obviously right to send them back if possible.

Of course, it would break my heart, and theirs too.

So I turned left again. Somehow this damn horse seemed to be getting stronger rather than tired.

‘Will I be able to stay on this carriage until the end? No, will this horse even know when to stop?’

Time continued to flow, and the next choice appeared.

It was already the third choice, though we hadn’t been traveling for long.

“Despite Your Best Efforts To Persuade Them, The Raid Members Are Divided.”

“Try To Persuade The Raid Members Again.”

“Force Them By Saying It’s An Order.”

“Ha.”

I spent more time deliberating than before. From experience, the first and second choices felt like jabs, and this one felt like the real beginning.

This gimmick seemed to be inspired by the trolley dilemma, but unlike the real trolley dilemma, it doesn’t show the consequences of your choice beforehand—you only find out after you choose…

Without any prior knowledge, I had to make the best choice based on my instincts.

‘In a real situation, I would obviously try to persuade the raid members again, but I can roughly predict what the next choices will be.’

My brain was working at maximum capacity. It’s no lie that people can perform several times better than usual in extreme situations. For a brief moment, my mind accelerated to its limit.

‘If both options are traps, I should go for the trap that seems easier.’

Given Futri’s personality, he probably wouldn’t just sit back and watch this “persuasion” play out. I strongly felt there would be a time limit or some kind of timeout.

Though I didn’t like the harsh tone, I turned right this time. After turning left all this time, turning right for the first time made my barely-adapted sense of balance instantly useless. This damn horse seemed to have developed a habit, trying to go left before I even pulled the reins, making me break into a cold sweat.

I barely managed to turn right, and then…

“Because Of Your Order, The Divided Opinions United. The Raid Members Refused Your Order. In The Process, 3 Keys Disappeared.”

“Forcibly Give Keys To Three People (In Order Of Age)”

“Forcibly Give Keys To Three People (In Reverse Order Of Age)”

“What the…?”

I was speechless with bewilderment when I saw the choices. Yes, I had fully expected there would be a time limit.

The raid members collectively refusing my order? That was also within expectations. If any of them had shouted “sacrifice yourself,” I would have been the first to tell them to stop talking nonsense.

Three keys disappeared? Well… that was also within the realm of expectation. Compared to imminent destruction, having the keys “Thanos-snapped” was at least somewhat bearable.

But why were the choices like that?

I was shocked by choices that seemed to mock my attempts to think one or two steps ahead, but there was no time to dwell on it.

‘Right. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve seen such terrible choices.’

I bear the original sin of summoning six raid members to the Tower, and my ultimate goal is to get everyone home safely. All six of them are precious to me. I couldn’t specifically choose who to send back and who to keep.

I knew these were just choices in a gimmick, but even knowing that, having to choose between these two options filled me with guilt.

‘Sorry. I’ll let the younger ones go.’

So I turned right again. My whole body was trembling, and my clothes were soaked with sweat, sticking uncomfortably to my skin.

The moment I took the right path, I saw and heard illusions of Noona Yehyun, Noona Soyu, and Subin.

It’s already bad enough being older…

I have so much more to do if I return than they do.

Weren’t we supposed to all live together in the mansion I’d buy with my money?

I knew they would never say such things, but it felt so real, and the situation was so urgent that it hit me hard in both head and heart.

‘Ah. So this is why characters suffer no matter what they choose.’

No matter how malicious the choices were, my decision had resulted in abandoned raid members. The illusions of the abandoned members continued to follow, making angry sounds or sobbing.

‘It’s an illusion. It’s Futri’s dirty trick. Just look ahead, just ahead.’

My body swayed precariously. They say imagination is limitless, and hearing those words in voices identical to theirs…

Heeheeheeheehing-!

“Ah shit! You scared me!”

The horse suddenly wailed. I didn’t know why, but the timing was impeccable. Thanks to that, I regained my mental composure.

‘Even this crazy horse is helpful sometimes.’

The hallucinations had disappeared, and the next wooden sign with choices was rapidly approaching.

“The Three People With Keys Disappeared. Then Three New Keys Appeared.”

“I Give Up”

“Exclude One Other Person”

“You son of a—”

In this moment, I became glass. A flood of curses I had been holding back burst forth.

But Futri gave me time to curse while simultaneously not giving me time.

The crazy horse was unnecessarily fast, and we quickly reached the fork in the road.

“Aaaaargh!”

Even knowing it would repeat or get worse, I had no choice but to take the left path again.

Excluding another person wasn’t really an option at all.

**

The Futri raid is a very unusual raid. From the mini-raid stage of Futri to the main raid, its format differs greatly from other raids.

Basically, it’s random, but depending on the gimmick, sometimes what matters isn’t how well the seven raid members move as one, but how well each of the seven performs individually—and now was such a time.

While Sunghyun was cursing Futri and barely managing to drive the express carriage to the River Jordan, there was another raid member who had drawn the exact same gimmick.

A carriage that could send you across the River Jordan with one wrong move, scenery similar to a wasteland, choices written on wooden signs.

However, the person sitting in the driver’s seat and the content of the choices were different.

“Yeah-ha! Run! Run, I said!”

Heeheeheeheehiing-!

…To clarify, the attitude toward the horse was also different. Not even fully seated on the driver’s bench but half-standing, she was urging the already fast horse to go even faster.

“I need to get through this boring stuff quickly and meet oppa soon! Faster! Run faster!”

While Sunghyun was terrified of what he called a “crazy horse,” on this side, it seemed more like the horse was terrified of the “crazy human.”

The crazy human, Ayuri—Veritas’s strongest physical fighter and cute(?) youngest member—frowned at the approaching wooden sign.

“The Key Is One Short. Your Indecisive Leader Couldn’t Make A Decision Easily, And Your Eyes Met.”

“I Give Up”

“Make The Leader Give Up”

“Exclude Someone Other Than The Leader”

“What kind of crap is this?”

She easily turned the horse’s head to the left. She passed the second and third choices without a second of hesitation or pain.

But.

“Your Leader Forcibly Gave You A Key. The Key Sticks To Your Hand And Won’t Come Off. There’s No Time.”

“Stay Still.”

“Cut Your Wrist.”

“…”

The moment she took the right path, blood began pouring from her right wrist.